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| Bill Paxton – Edge of Tomorrow panel |
If you\’re on the fence about attending WonderCon in Anaheim (being held April 3-5 this year), I\’m hoping you\’ll attend. It\’s organized by the same group as San Diego Comic-Con so the prices are reasonable and they get some great guests and panels which you don\’t have to pay extra for!
I\’ve only been attending WonderCon since it started being held in Anaheim. Attendance has grown each year so buy your badges soon! One of the things I love about the Anaheim location is that the big movie panels are held in the Arena, which is a sports arena, so while they add chairs on the floor, there are tiered seats for better views. I like to sit in the second or third row of the first set of tiers so that I don\’t have to worry about a tall person blocking my view. The arena has easy access to a concessions stand and bathrooms which are wonderful for time when you are spending the entire day in the Arena for panels. This is what I did on the Saturday, because that\’s when the bigger films have their panels.
WonderCon has a much more laid back vibe, and is certainly not as crowded as SDCC. Last year, Marvel didn\’t make an appearance whatsoever, and there were several rumors as to why. I don\’t expect them to make any appearances this year, either. I hope I\’m wrong about that, but time will tell. There are also discounted tickets to Disneyland Parks for convention goers if there is a day when no panels appeal to you, or you want to take advantage of the wonderful weather and extend your stay.
On Saturday of WonderCon 2014, I spent the entire day in the Arena.
The panels that day were:
Godzilla
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Into the Storm
Edge of Tomorrow
I\’m sure there were others, but they are escaping me right now and these were the ones I cared about.
Gareth Edwards was the only panelist for Godzilla and Bill Paxton was the only panelist for Edge of Tomorrow. That\’s disappointing, but Gareth Edwards won me over with his adorableness and charm. Bill Paxton talked about the film, but also his incredible body of work and what films fans are most interested in him for. He did say most fans ask him to say \”Game over, man\” from Aliens, but there are lines from other movies which get asked, too.
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| Gareth Edwards – Godzilla panel |
The panels I was most interested in wwereInto the Storm (which I had seen at a test screening several months prior) because of my adoration for Richard Armitage, and Godzilla because I\’ve always loved Godzilla. (I\’ll admit there was a period of time when I \”hated\” Godzilla movies, but that\’s because my brother was obsessed and watched them all of the time. I think that it was really my little brother I was sick and tired of, not Godzilla.)
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| Gareth Edwards – Godzilla panel |
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes panel:
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| Ralph Garman (moderator) and Matt Reeves (director) |
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| Matt Reeves and Keri Russell |
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| Gary Oldman |
As you can imagine, there were a lot of applause and cheers for Gary Oldman.
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| Gary Oldman |
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| Keri Russell and Gary Oldman |
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| Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, and Andy Serkis |
It was Andy Serkis\’ 50th birthday that day, but no one wished him a happy birthday. 😦
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| Steve Quale (director) greeting Jeremy Sumpter |
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| Steve Quale, Richard Armitage, Max Deacon, Jeremy Sumpter, Arlen Escarpeta |
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| Steve Quale, Richard Armitage, Max Deacon |
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| Steve Quale, Richard Armitage, Max Deacon |
I didn\’t know Max Deacon was also English until this panel. The Edge of Tomorrow panel was before the Into the Storm panel and Max Deacon had played Bill Paxton\’s son in Hatfield and McCoys, (he plays Richard Armitage\’s son in Into the Storm.)
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| Steve Quale, Richard Armitage, Max Deacon |
Weird Life of V 