And On The Seventh Day, They Rested

Hey, now, guys. Guys. GUYS. /Film. Hitfix. All o'y'all. HEY.

What the hell is the problem?

Comic Con this year is scheduled with some of the biggest stars, previews and projects it's had in years. Peter Jackson's first appearance, 3D in Hall H, the upcoming slew of Marvelicious cinematic and published goodies, the most creative and well written shows on television, it's all gonna be there, Thursday through Sunday.

Through SUNDAY.

Yes, SUNDAY. The day everyone seems to have decided to call out as being in some way less because..... why again? Because Jake has decided to deprive us of his washboard abs? When has Sunday ever been a day of blockbusters? I must have missed that the past few years.

But you know what I didn't miss on Sunday? The amazing, smaller panels of interesting and worthwhile projects that don't have some A-Lister's stamp on it, or don't have hundreds of millions of dollars behind it, or haven't been adapted from a hugely successful Asian property. Things like, oh, say, I dunno.

Shaun of the Dead

I don't know if you guys saw this little romzomcom Britflick, came out in 2004? It was at SDCC before its release, a panel played to an audience less than half full. On a Sunday. Yeah, that's right.

A Sunday.

The attitude that seems to be permeating the online buzz-generating community right now just baffles me. In what way is the Sunday scheduling disappointing? There needs to be a day for the smaller projects, for breathing, for exploration. Sunday is that day. It's a break from the dog and pony show so you can see what's actually happening in the genre community, not just the Hollywood. This year also, Sunday will feature lots of television programming, including some with huge cult followings. Supernatural, anyone? Dr. Who with David Tennant's first and only appearance? Indie films that have the chance to break the mold and bring something new to the table, and tv shows fans care about.

Yeah, Sunday sounds like it's going to suck.

There is a bizarre sense of condescension and entitlement coming from the blogging community. People writing off Sunday and the Sunday panels, who are indicating they won't even intend to attempt to attend them, are being ridiculous. You're going to get up and bitch about the crowds, bemoan the overriding commercialism, and then skip the Independent film panels and write off the cult tv panels? Okay. That makes total sense. Have fun doing your write ups on the same panels that everyone else is doing their write ups on, posting the footage we'll be able to see in High Def on apple.com next month, complaining about how the Wrath of Con didn't live up to your expectations (if you got in), and sullenly eyeballing the teeming masses who clearly have no idea what they're doing. Enjoy yourselves.

Or save david's iPhone some storage and just don't go so we don't have to read the plethora of tweets that will invariably follow.

Additionally, it's not the convention's fault that studios didn't/wouldn't/couldn't schedule things for Sunday. They way I hear it, from various avenues, is that SDCC would in fact have loved to have provided fans with one big, high profile Sunday event to go out on, but none of the major studios or big projects would step up. They can't arbitrarily create content to meet your criteria. They also can't go around changing the schedule just because a couple thousand people on twitter complain about time or conflicts or wishing something was in a bigger room. That's logistically implausible, to say the least, and they have another hundred and fifty thousand people or so to take into account as well.

Everyone knows certain studios suck, right? It's taken as rote. One studio in particular has amazing properties that you desperately hope work out and then they treat them horribly. As a studio, they have a reputation (online, at least) for douchery. Do you honestly think that doesn't extend to their behavior and dealings with the other studios and the convention? Or do you think, maybe, it's possible that when you get giant commercial studios who are in it for the money and the advertising to try and schedule two days of sneaks, previews, screenings, and big name talent, that maybe one or two of them might be uncooperative? Maybe. Possibly.

Look, as an American citizen, I have a dual responsibility to my government. One is to abide by its laws while taking any and all advantage I can of the freedoms those laws afford me, and the other is to be intensely critical of that government's actions and policies, because that's my country, dammit.

As a fan, I have a dual responsibility. One is to support and partake in the movies, shows, games, books, et all that make up genre media, and the other is to be critical of the people and corporate entities who produce, market, and control that media. Tearing down and ragging on the SDCC is a chump move that displays a lack of understanding in how the convention is run and maintained as well as an inflated sense of ego. You have a website, you have a column, you have a twitter account. You're heard, by a minuscule fraction of the world's population. That fraction cares about what you have to say, though, so that lends your words weight. It's a small community, so being a big name in it counts for something. But you cannot think what we say or think influences major film studios' decisions on what day to schedule their panels. Be a fan, and be a critic, but for frakssake, how hard is it to be supportive of the groups who are actively endeavoring to bring you access to the things you care about? Why can't you just be excited as hell for the things we're about to be shown? You seriously can't curb the pessimism and complaining until after the sneak preview for whatever Keanu property is up next?

Okay, no, I'll make a concession there. If it's a Keanu property, feel free to commence bitchage now.