One of the coolest things about Comic-Con is the very early screenings of movies that studios trot out to garner buzz and get mouths talking at the event. In recent years, Tropic Thunder, Inglorious Basterds and District 9, among others, have all been Comic-Con fodder, as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has been this time around. The horror movie The Last Exorcism (in theaters Aug. 27) screened tonight for folks, and it’s a rather impressive recent film in the genre. Told in faux documentary style, the story follows Louisiana holy man Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), the youngest in a long line of exorcists. But unlike his predecessors, he doesn’t believe in demons and thinks “exorcising” them from people is a load of hooey. Cotton decides to take a camera crew along to film how much hooey it exactly is when a teenage girl named Nell (Ashley Bell) is thought to be possessed, and the preacher doesn’t quite know what to believe anymore when he finds something seemingly otherworldly: Is a supernatural force afoot, or is it just this girl’s insanity talking? It’s creepy (much more than that last “buzzworthy” horror film, Paranormal Activity), really well made and as funny as a movie can get about exorcising demons. And in a time when most movie special effects are all done on computer, only one digital effect exists in The Last Exorcism, which was revealed during a Q&A session with the filmmakers, including director Daniel Stamm and producer (and horror nut) Eli Roth. Roth shared a story that as a kid he always thought he was going to be possessed by the devil, “until my mother told me Jews didn’t believe in the devil,” and he was asked by one person if he was concerned about the movie being compared to the 1968 classic Rosemary’s Baby. “Better that than Repossessed,” Roth reasons. “We hope it’s a Rosemary’s Baby for a new generation.” Read below for more highlights from yesterday’s Comic-Con schedule.
Photos courtesy of Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures/Marvel
Superheroes were the main attraction in Hall H, which was also the site of a violent stabbing incident. During the Warner Bros. panel in the morning, Ryan Reynolds (looking rather buff) showed off some early footage from Green Lantern — we’ll have some video of him talking about the movie up on the blog soon! — while some fans were more visually impressed with director Zack Snyder’s 1950s female revenge fantasy Sucker Punch. And not to be outdone by a guy with a green power ring, Marvel Studios packed their own punch. Three of them to be exact: Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving were on hand to show some brand new footage from Captain America: The First Avenger; Thor stars Chris Hemsworth (pictured at left) and Natalie Portman brought along a 3D trailer; and director Joss Whedon brought out his whole superhero team for The Avengers, including Hemsworth, Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as the recently signed Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo who are playing Hawkeye and the Hulk, respectively.
Harrison Ford wowed the Comic-Con crowd by making his debut at the event during a panel for Jon Favreau’s Cowboys vs. Aliens, a sci-fi Western flick co-starring Olivia Wilde and Daniel Craig that will have some serious buzz coming out of Comic-Con. Earlier in the same Universal Studios presentation, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Seth Rogen got the home crowd going with scenes from Paul, a comedy that’s actually set at Comic-Con.
And over in the TV world: Linda Hamilton is guest-starring on NBC’s Chuck as the mother of the title super-spy (Zachary Levi); audiences will finally get to see what the alien Visitors look like on the ABC series V; and The Simpsons announced some intriguing guest voices for the 22nd season, including Jon Hamm, Hugh Laurie, Cheech & Chong and the cast of Glee.
Hi, Great podcast as usual. Concerning the issue of Hell raseid by amiel4messiah I am not as convinced of a black and white answer as I once was. I grew up in Northern ireland where Hell fire and brimstone preaching was the main thing people preached about and to a smaller degree it still is. It wasn’t until I started searching into heraic roots and reading what some Messianics where teaching that I realised that it wasn’t maybe as black and white. I started reading about everything from anniahilationism to Universalism and everything inbetween. I began to realise very quickly that a lot of what I had been taught was not explicitly in the Bible but at the same time none of the other views where either. My main problem isn’t so much whether Hell, hades, Sheol, Gehena exist (and there is a lot of teaching on the differences on these places) but rather in finding out there purpose and who goes where. When I started studying more of the Torah I began to realise that not all sins received the same punishment and I wonder is this the case with Hell that not everyone receives the same punishment there also. I find it hard to contemplate that God would send some one like Bin laden and the Hitlers of this world to hell as well as the little old woman down the street and those who have never heard the Gospel. Because of my Background I still would hold to the eternal punishment view but I have become a bit agnostic about it. I have even heard some Messianic who teach the Eternal perspective say that they do so more in keeping with the Pharisee tradition of putting a hedge around doctrine rather that teaching correct doctrine. Anyone with any thoughts? I would be really grateful.
Shalom Derek (and Peter). I very much look forward to more blog cotbrinutions from you on these type of subjects. You ask whether I believe if G-d’s grace would save everyone? Straight question straight answer: Yes! However (I am Jewish, so yes/no answers are not my thing lol) The trouble with these kind of topics is that they are laced with emotions, very powerful emotions. I guess my starting position would be the election of the Jewish people and our legendary lack of faithfulness through the ages. And yet, and yet in Jeremiah G-d makes it abundantly clear that unless the stars can be counted, Israel will be His chosen nation forever. My second premise is around the concept of ages (olam) in the Hebrew Bible (and that would include the concept of forever’). The Messianic scriptures were penned by Jews who used Greek, but spoke (and thought) in Hebrew (in other words, their world was Eastern’ and not Western’). A good example would be the word church’ in our English Bibles, which is taken from the Greek Ecclesia but based on the Hebrew Kahal.We are not just translating words, but cultures and different concepts and understandings. Only G-d is sovereign, but we do have a degree of free will (and boy can we mess things up). But from Genesis to the Apokalypse (in my opinion, one of the most Jewish books in the Messianic scriptures), I see a G-d who’s whole Being is consumed by restoration. He is the perfect parent. And punishment (however severe) has to have a purpose. Yes, I believe in hell and no, I’m not an annihilationist’ (or whatever they’re called these days). Hell is awful (it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living G-d) but Yeshua’s victory will swallow up death and suffering, though it won’t happen overnight.I am painfully aware that I have barely skipped the surface and have not (remotely) been able to do justice to your question Derek. I have a client meeting in 10 minutes and am tied up all day. I wanted to at least get the ball rolling and give you some of my thoughts.I really appreciate and enjoy this blog. It’s a wonderful tool of learning and I thank you for your continued commitment and sacrifice.Kol Tuv brother.
I’ll immediately take hold of your rss feed as I can not to find your e-mail subscription link or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please allow me realize in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.