Talkin' About Philly Comic Con, With Square Peg

Tableau and Square Peg Take On Comic Con

This weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Philadelphia Wizard World Comic Con with my good friend (and occasional Guest Blogger) Square Peg. It was may first Comic Con, and, though we only attended for one day, we were able to see a lot of events, panels, and art:

The Veronica Mars Movie Is Upon Us, And It's Important

March 14th might well go down as one of the most important dates in cinematic history, and nothing major is happening. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt aren't sitting down with Oprah to discuss their (seemingly decades-spanning) divorce. George Clooney won't reveal that his whole career has been one long prank, and he's really a married father of two from Topeka. Alfred Hitchcock probably isn't coming back from the dead, ready to declare war on the blondes and homosexuals that he loves and hates so much. No, Friday, March 14th is the official premiere date for the little Kickstarter movie that could: Veronica Mars.

Now, I don't mean to be hyperbolic, but the Veronica Mars movie is a genuinely important touchstone in film and television history. Over the last decade or so, there has been a power shift in the way fans of shows are treated by the general public and by the very people and shows that they are fans of. It used to be that die-hard fans were relegated to the sticky floors of Conference Room B, desperate for a view of a C-List actor at whatever half-hearted convention was being thrown.  Filmmakers like George Lucas derided the fans' input (he has since – wisely – recanted on his earlier beliefs), and there was shame even among the fans themselves. Carefully homemade Star Trek uniforms were shoved to the back of closets, their owners frightened that anyone outside of a 'con' know of their existence (requisite

Hit Or Miss: Quick Movie Reviews 5!

It's summer again, which means that there are more movies in theaters than there is time to see them. There are indie darlings, action hero blockbusters, and raucous comedies. There are even a few dramas in there to spice things up. Since you can't see all of the movies (you have a life, after all), I saw them all for you (me - no life) and can tell you which ones you should hit the theater to see and which ones can miss.

It's been almost exactly a year since I've done this form of quick-fire reviews, so pardon me if I'm a little rusty.

My Cousins Review 'Iron Man 3'

Tony Stark Is Haunted By His Past

I'm a pretty lazy person by nature. I'm less of a "carpe diem" man and more of a "sit at home watching marathons of Even Stevens" man.  So, when I found out that my cousins love and were good at reviewing movies, it only made sense that I exploited that as much as possible. And when I realized that they also like drawing pictures, well, the path was clear. So, without further ado, here is my cousins' review of Iron Man 3, the latest in the Tony Stark saga. It gets a tiny bit spoilery (no major reveals, but a few minor plot details are discussed), so you may want to wait until after you watch the movie to read.

The 'Veronica Mars' Movie is Happening!

Dick, Logan, Keith, Veronica, Mac, and Wallace

There has been a lot of good pop culture news recently. The trailer for the new Hangover movie came out and doesn't look terrible, Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing seems like it's going to be awesome (though it can never touch the majesty of Kenneth Branagh's 90s version), and Bunheads on ABC Family got renewed for a second season. No news, however, is quite as exciting as yesterday's announcement that there is actually going to be a Veronica Mars movie. Hinted at for some time by lead actress Kristen Bell, it all seemed like an unattainable dream until the Kickstarter campaign started yesterday morning. They were looking to get $2 million in 30 days, and they've already gotten $2.7 million in donations in a little over a day. So, yeah, this movie is happening.

Created by Rob Thomas (not this guy), Veronica Mars is a California-set neo-noir television series following a pint-sized sleuth (Bell played the titular Veronica) as she navigates the

Film Review: Sleepwalk With Me

"Abby, there's a Jackal in the room!"

There’s an odd phenomenon that occurs at movie theaters, usually during a movie’s opening week. At the end of the movie, apropos of nothing, people start clapping. For whom, I ask, for whom? Is it for the audience themselves, for enjoying a communal activity? Is it a congratulations to the projectionist? It always seems odd, unnecessary, and a little pompous. Well, finally, at the end of a screening of comedian Mike Birbiglia’s new film, Sleepwalk with Me, appleause actually made sense. Because Mike Birbiglia was in the

Film Review: 'The Avengers'

Go get 'em, tigers

Now that The Avengers has made like a billion dollars (not an exaggeration, my friends), we at Tableau Your Mind thought we should get off our collective asses and review the dern thing. Sure, it has been incredibly successful financially, but what is more impressive is how tight, funny, and effective this movie is.

My Cousin Reviews 'The Avengers'

Five days after seeing it in theaters, I'm still formulating my thoughts on The Avengers. However, blogs live and breathe on their ability to be timely and of the moment, and waiting to post a review is neither of those things. With that in mind, I enlisted my cousin, who is eleven and awesome, to write a review of the film and draw pictures as well. He thankfully obliged:

The Hulk destroys/eats at a restaurant

Guest Blogger -
Awesome Cousin

The Avengers was better than I expected. I went to see the movie with my cousin and my uncle. There were a lot of action-packed parts in there, and there were some funny parts, like when 

[Spoiler Alert] the Hulk punched Thor in the face and Thor went flying.

My favorite character was probably the Hulk. I liked him because I relate to him, because I get angry, like, a lot. I like that he’s strong and that his anger sometimes helps. I like that almost nothing could harm him.

I kind of like all of the characters. I even think Loki was cool, and I liked the guy that played him because he was good at playing Loki. He is a good actor, and well, yeah.

I also liked Iron Man, because he has a lot of guts. I mean, he fought Thor and almost won, and Thor is a demi-god.

I give this movie 100 out of 100 Chitauri Soldiers

Loki: Yeah, before I take over the planet and kill you guys,
I'll have a large pepperoni pizza with a huge packet of marinara sauce and garlic sauce.
Operator: What's your form of currency?
Loki: Do you take Intergalactic Space credit card?
Operator: Um, no.
Loki: Damn.