As “your mission”, “the odds were in your favor”, you chose to return and experience Thursday at Comic-Con. As mentioned last time, Hall H is the Mecca of Comic-Con. It’s what makes the event so compelling. It took planning, persistence, and getting in line a couple hours early, but I was able to get into Hall H!
I arrived at the convention center around 8am knowing The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 was going to be the big event for the day inside Hall H.
We finally entered Hall H at 10am.
Before The Hunger Games presentation kicked off, a movie by the name of Rock the Kabash – starring Bill Murray, Bruce Willis and Kate Hudson – took center stage. The movie is based on a true story and focuses on a music manager on tour in Afghanistan. During his tour, he discovers a girl with a great voice.
We were shown the movie trailer first with a question and answer presentation immediately following. Bill Murray showed up in costume. Rock the Kabash will hit theaters on October 23, 2015
I was pretty lucky and grabbed a seat fairly close to the front in the first section of seating. That was just fine by me because I had a seat in Hall H, the hub of all major happenings.
From my seat, I had the opportunity to see Bill Murray walk in! When I turned around, he was right behind me. No more than 15 feet away!
Mitch Glazer, the writer for the movie, was also there with Bill Murray.
A few people from the audience were able to ask question at each presentation. In order to ask a question, you had to wait in line and your question was screened ahead of time.
Mitch Glazer and Bill Murray did a wonderful job answering the questions tossed their way. One of the best quotes from Mitch Glazer was “We are Rock ‘n‘ Roll.” Bill Murray commented, “If you’ve been back stage, you know the craziness of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
One person asked, “where does Bill Murray fit into the Comic-Con world?” Bill Murray’s responded that “at first he didn’t know where he belonged in that world, but he does own a taser.”
When Bill Murray was finished making everyone laugh, they cleared the stage and got ready for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. They had a really neat introduction where you felt like a part of the District.
top left: Jennifer Lawrence “Katniss Everdeen” top right: Josh Hutcherson “Peeta Mellark” bottom left: Liam Hemsworth “Gale Hawthorne” bottom right: Willow Shields “Primrose Everdeen”
Four people were dressed in white uniforms like those from “District 13.” Then, throughout Hall H, more people in white uniforms poured out and marched toward the stage. Once they reached the stage, they left the hall and a message from “District 13” played across the screens for everyone to see. Following the message, the full trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 was played.
The Hunger Games question and answer presentation featured Director Francis Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Willow Shields, and Producer Nina Jacobson. This was one of my favorite presentations of the entire convention.
During the presentation, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth mentioned there was a great scene between the two of them while Katniss is asleep.
One of the questions asked was “What will you miss most?” (as this is the last installment). Josh Hutcherson answered, “You’re looking at it.” Hutcherson also said that he would miss “the big family and the great crew.”
Another question touched on what the fans would take away from the movie. Jennifer Lawrence answered, “The power of the future is in our hands.” Josh Hutcherson’s answer was “Hope and Empowerment.”
The cast was also asked if any of them could do the “mockingjay whistle” and, surprisingly, none of them could actually do the whistle!
After the presentation for Mockingjay Part 2, I had the opportunity for two interviews that were not in Hall H. They were on the floor with two different vendors.
My first interview was Jeffery Morris, the CEO of Future Dude. I really enjoyed talking with him. Morris is the creator, art director, executive producer and publisher of his company. He is the creator of “parallel man” and his latest film Oceanus.
I sat down with Morris and talked with him for a few minutes. He made his first film when he was in eighth grade! I asked him what he thought his greatest accomplishment was. Morris responded, “It is Oceanus.”
On top of being talented, he is very observant. He noticed my nails; which I had painted like Star Wars. Since he loves science fiction, the conversation immediate transitioned to our mutual love for Star Wars. His favorite episode in the saga is The Empire Strikes Back.
My second interview was with a vendor called Entertainment Earth. They showed me their booth, which displayed tons of their toys.
Entertainment Earth has three categories of toys. The first are toys that are their own products. Truly original and not licensed. Their other two categories are licensed.
They sell lunch boxes, statues, bobble heads, and many more! When it comes to the comic giants, Marvel toys tend to be a bigger draw than DC toys. Right now, Game of Thrones items are their most popular products. They carry many others like Jurassic World, Back to the Future, The Joker, and Captain America. They also have their own plush line of toys.
To finish off day one, I signed up to go to a Geek Couture Fashion Show put on by Her Universe and the famous Ashley Eckstein.
For those that do not know Ashley Eckstein, she plays the character “Ahsoka Tano” in the TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The fashion show was the only event I did attend that was not held at the convention center. It was held next door to the convention center at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel.
The first official day of Comic-Con was just as exciting as was anticipated. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” is to come back and see what I was able to experience on Friday. As a spoiler, I will mention Star Wars. “May the force be with you.”
