New York Comic Con 2011

I just can't wait until October 16 to tell you about this - let me set the scene.

Yesterday I was at work, reading as I always do the free daily papers. An ad for New York Comic Con 2011 caught my eye. For the unaware - Comic Con is basically a big nerd-gasm convention for all things super geeky (comic books, sci-fi, fantasy etc). I jumped online and checked out the line up. Felicia Day huh? Timon will be excited (me not so much as I don't like other redheads battling for supremacy in my boys mind). Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk), Kevin Smith, Kevin Sorbo, Frank Miller, John Landis and the hot Kal Drogo from Game of Thrones. All VERY EXCITING indeed. I immediately texted Timon and demanded that we buy tickets. He investigated and discovered that we could apply for press passes, giving us access to everything for free. He went ahead and applied for both of us and we received email confirmation not long after. Man oh man oh man - Digital Hippos is our golden ticket! We are all set for the exclusive press day plus the weekend as well (we'll miss Friday because of the Arctic Monkeys concert in Atlantic City - equally awesome).

I'm feeling like a very, very lucky girl right now.

 Felicia Day and Jason Momoa

Why midnight screenings are not fun

Being a conductor of IMAX midnight screenings for over a year I genuinely thought they were fun, exciting experiences for fans. I have also attended a couple myself, most memorably the Star Wars prequels in Ballarat. But there are a couple of things I forget to remember. Being in charge is way more fun - you get to plan the event, know what's going on, be in control (mostly) and not have to stand in line for 2 hours. Also, knowing someone who works at the cinema and sneaking in the back door just before showtime is awesome (thanks Zoy!). Queuing outside the cinema, on the cold, hard concrete for 2 hours sucks. So does being stuck in line while people check in their mobile phones. So does finding decent seats and having to watch every person after you walk down to the 'RESERVED' seats, try to sit down and be told off by the usher. Since when did 'reserved' become foreign language? My conclusion - people are stupid. Especially in large groups. We had a small row in front of us where people had left one vacant seat at each end. A nice couple understandably requested that the group move one way or the other so that they could sit together. You would have thought they asked for them to kill one of their own. The girls on one end didn't want to move behind a slightly taller guy. The ladies in the middle didn't want to surrender the middle. It was painful and I had to sit on my hands to avoid a smackdown. Since when did people become such jerks? I wished I was in charge, wielding my radio and torch, so I could get my bitch on and boss those jerks around. Or evict them.

The pain wasn't over. The prizes came out. Trivia. Maybe I'm just being a grinch because I didn't care to win a DVD boxset of Family Guy Season Whatever. That's what the internet is for. But the audience went NUTS. There was screaming and actual rage when the host passed over them. It was a disgusting display. And come on, it was midnight and I had to get up for work at 6.30 - hustle it along please! In my time at IMAX I always felt that people liked to win prizes - now I know they were just dying for the show to start and cursing me for my obnoxious microphone chatter.

I should mention what the show was - it was the premiere preview of the new Family Guy season (10).I did get a free t-shirt out of it (the screening was also free) but it was hardly worth the agony. The episode - was a laugh, I must admit. There is one hell of a penis enlargement joke right at the end. Look out for it.

Julia Mann: Member of the Press

Monday was my first proper press screening, and boy was it exciting. Timon had to work so I was on my own. I found my way to East 55th and the Sony Building. I crossed a fancy looking foyer and jumped in an elevator up to the 7th Floor SkyLobby. I checked in at the front desk and waited (I was super early) on a plush leather couch, watching the comings and goings of lucky Sony staff. Around 2.30pm a guy came out with a list of names and crossed each of us off, handing us little yellow tickets so we could pass security. We went up again and came out into a luxuriously carpeted area, lined with black and white photos of old movie stars, brand new film posters and comfy leather couches. The security guard directed us to the private screening room, which had over-sized green seats, some with extender-legs for uber relaxing. I selected my seat, halfway up to the left, and waited while maybe 15 other people wandered in. It's fair to say that film reviewers are a big bunch of geeks, and on this day predominantly middle-aged white guys. The film started without an ad or trailer to be found and 90-odd minutes later we had seen Gus Van Sant's new film - 'Restless'. You can read my review at www.digitalhippos.com.

On Tuesday Timon and I went to see 'Gun Hill Road' downtown. I found out, to my pleasant surprise, that the cinema is one of the few in town that offers a student discount. Thank god for Melbourne Uni student cards that expire in 2012! We had been meaning to see this film for ages because one of Timon's regular customers is related to the director. The theatre was near-empty and the film was grim, but enjoyable. It starred Richie Valens' brother from 'La Bamba' and Carla from 'Scrubs'. It was set in the Bronx and it was cool to see recognisable scenery.

On Wednesday I was on my own again. I had received an email confirmation of my press credentials for the New York Film Festival and went in to collect my ID. It's all fancy with a colour photo and lanyard. It gets me in to all press screenings before and during the festival, along with subsequent press conferences. To say I'm excited is an understatement. Timon signed up when he heard how cool it was going to be - and he collected his ID today. I had some time to kill so spent an hour in Chipotle eating corn chips and guacamole. I had cased out the next location - the Magno screening rooms on 7th Ave. This screening ('Weekend') was much busier. I find it a little bit intimidating watching a film with a room full of reviewers. Every time one of them makes a note I wonder what they're writing, what they've seen and OH MY GOD should I be writing too? I also wonder who they are and who they write for. I should introduce myself I suppose...
Tonight (Thursday) Timon and I are headed to a midnight screening of the new Family Guy season premiere. It's a previews ahead of the release in late September. We supposedly get commemorative t-shirts and the opportunity to win prizes. I'm 100% relying on T for trivia answers.

So far Friday is un-booked by film screenings. It's not a night in though - we have plans to teach Sophie C how to act drunk. By getting drunk. Hopefully I can retain a little dignity this time.

Post 9/11

Not only did I not stay home on 9/11, I ventured into the belly of the beast.

The Saturday evening prior we decided to head out to Williamsburg to meet up with Frans and Michelle for drinks. Timon spent hours before that completing the Australian tax forms online and as a result we didn't end up leaving our place until 10pm. We almost never go to Brooklyn and we absolutely never go out at that time of night. We should have known right then that the night would end badly. We rolled up at The Rabbit Hole (Frans ex-place of employ) around 11pm and started catching up with the rest of the party. The bartender was generous due to our affiliation with Frans and the wine, beer and whisky was flowing. I even partook in a tequila slammer with loft-mate Trudon. Huge mistake. I can't say it wasn't my fault but the free-pouring shots that the bartender gave out made it hard to track drinks and alcohol consumption. By the time we left the restaurant in the direction of some club I was ...blotto. Yeah, that's the word. I remember searching desperately for Timon, who turned out to be enjoying the beer garden with Frans, then spewing in the bathroom. That was it for me and Timon escorted me, messy and sobby, back to F&Ms. I woke up in the middle of the night next to T on a pull-down sofa with Star Wars music blaring from a speaker. By the time I woke again the other boys were passed out on various chairs with the DVD menu screen looping over and over.

Hungover and in the same clothes as yesterday T and I walked our way through Williamsburg to the train. Despite fresh terror warnings the week before we had no choice but to catch the subway across the river and back into Manhattan. We ended up at a seedy diner not far from Timon's work, eating pretty nasty food (with a cup of tea straight from heaven) before I left T at Jack's and subway'd all the way home. So inadvertently I had ended up right in the heart of all the 9/11 shenanigans. Jack's Front Street is a 5 minute walk from the World Trade Center memorial and site of the still-in-construction new skyscraper. Lucky for everyone, and no big surprise really, the day was uneventful (besides the ceremonies and mourning of course). My only disappointment was not being able to see the light memorial from our roof - I did the next best thing and watched it on TV.

Never Forget

As you'd be aware (especially if you live in this country) the 10th anniversary of 9/11 is coming up. As loathed as I am to add to the overwhelming media attention this day is receiving, I feel compelled to voice an opinion. Being Australian, the events of 9/11 faded from my brain relatively quickly after the news reports died down. I've gone on living my life with its own special challenges and experiences with only the occasional memory provoked by film references. It was of great surprise and some level of contempt that I realised those events still feature highly in the collective consciousness of the USA.

'Highly' is an understatement. In the past two weeks my television and daily reading have been overrun with documentary specials, news coverage, tabloid exploitation, editorial musings and front page rants about everything and anything to do with 9/11. Yesterday I was tricked into watching "Remember Me", a film starring Robert Pattinson that I switched onto half way through. It wasn't until the last 5 minutes that I recalled the ending - Pattinson peering out the windows of his father's office on the 100-something floor of the WTC as they cut to a teacher writing that infamous date on the blackboard. None too subtle. But also oddly affecting. For all my stone-hearted forgetfulness, it took a Twilight vampire to drive it home and I got that gut-wrenching feeling of sympathy that the other media sources had failed to instill.

So Sunday is the day. The city will be locked down due to the presence of President Obama and countless other dignitaries. Downtown Manhattan will be a nightmare to navigate (sorry Timon!). Our friend Scott will be taking to the skies, home to Michigan, as flights on 9/11 are the cheapest you'll find. I will be home with the cat, trying in vain to avoid any and all coverage. Who am I kidding - morbid curiosity will most likely win the day. I'll probably also subscribe to paranoia and text Timon every 5 minutes just to make sure his store isn't exploded.

The rainy season

It has not stopped raining in September. I'm definitely not complaining because the rain washes away the sun. It doesn't always deter the humidity however. Where are we at then:

Giant kitty Rosie has proven herself a terrible house guest. After not eating for 4 days she finally tried some wet food - only to get mad diarrhea, spew on the floor, pee in the bath and poo on our bed! It's trying times in the Mannopoulos household.

Both Timon and I are furiously researching, playing, watching and writing for Digital Hippos. There is something great about the rush from seeing an article published on the homepage - and extra credit for getting your piece rotating on the banner! It's pretty rad. Here is a link to my latest:

http://digitalhippos.com/film-review/drama/review-the-debt

And Timon's: http://digitalhippos.com/gaming-review/xbox-360/review-ugly-americans-apocalypsegeddon
 
Please support us by 'Liking' the site (for those of you on Facebook), reading our reviews and even making comments on the bottom. Every hit counts towards us eventually getting paid!

We ordered me a little tiny wee laptop (sadly not a Macbook Air - they are so expensive!) so that I can write during my downtime at work. May as well do something productive in the hours I have no customers. It almost makes me feel like I'm getting paid to write! The laptop arrived on Tuesday but sadly did not work. We've ordered a replacement so fingers crossed it arrives tomorrow AND works. I will be eating leftover muffins and salads from work for the next 2 months to make up for the splurge but I think it's worth it. Timon's Mac weighs a tonne and he needs it as much as me.

We've been cinema hopping more than ever, piling up review fodder for the site. We saw an Attack the Block/The Debt double feature on Friday followed by Warrior on Tuesday and Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles for me on Wednesday. I can't wait until the preview screening invites come rolling in (soon, baby, soon)! I also spent the afternoon volunteering at MOMI on Sunday and was inspired to write a piece on the Jim Henson exhibition out there.

I met up with T last night after work and we walked over to St Mark's Place in pursuit of a killer hotdog. I received a couple of freebies for this place called Crif Dogs - a hot doggery that boasts bizarre combos. The line was out the door when we arrived but we stuck it out and received a Chihuahua and Good Morning dog for our efforts. Mine was a bacon wrapped dog covered in avocado and sour cream while Timon's Good Morning was bacon wrapped topped with a fried egg. We rounded out the meal with tater tots. Not bad, but probably not worth the wait. And definitely not with the $5 price tag. Thank you coupon websites - sometimes your endless spam pays off!

A New Hope: Episode Four

What would I do without Timon? He ditched a well-paying job and traveled to the other side of the world with me, braving -16 degree weather, foreign languages, David Hasselhoff and paralysing New York wages in pursuit of a dream. And because of him I am one step closer to mine.

I mentioned a few blogs ago that Timon had found an internship position at review, news and editorial website Digital Hippos, writing articles on music and gaming titles. In a stroke of awesomeness he promoted me to his boss and I now find myself on staff as a writer in the film department! I have the opportunity to write reviews, conduct interviews with filmmakers, put together news items, write editorials and generally spout off about films I love/hate. While the position is yet unpaid I have already been lining up press passes to upcoming film festivals in the city and negotiating free passes to regular screenings. It is the most exciting, scary and challenging prospect this side of moving to the other side of the world and braving -16 degree weather, foreign languages, David Hasselhoff and paralysing New York wages. This opportunity is a bright and shiny ray of light in an otherwise dreary career outlook.

Please check in with the website every so often to read both of our dazzling articles of writing gold. We'll post updates on Facebook when something new is up!

I think we make a pretty awesome unbeatable team of hotness - I love you baby!

Safe and Sound!

Well we survived. It was actually rather pathetic. We locked the doors at 1pm on Saturday and waited with baited breath for the waters to rise. And waited and waited. I crawled into bed at 1am with high expectations. Nothing but steady rain came down. When I woke the next morning the sun was shining and sky was clear. I guess I'm glad really that we didn't lose power and our belongings were all dry and we didn't have to eat the kittens in a mad act of starvation. And I'm sorry that others weren't so lucky.

We almost closed Greenacre on Monday because the subway wasn't running. But after some very early morning texts and phone calls I dragged my butt down to midtown around 10am. Everything looked the same and there was no more water on the kiosk floor than when Durell and Charles water the bricks (this is horrifying to my drought-hardened sensibilities!). Ultimately Hurricane Irene was nothing to write home about.

The last few days have been same old same old. Been to work some, been at home some. Sophie left our apartment for Philly on Tuesday afternoon and we headed up to the Bronx for a home-cooked dinner by moi. Timon and Scott worked on nerdy boy computer stuff and I slaved in the kitchen. Scott is having housemate difficulties at the moment and rarely leaves his room on the top floor. He is almost completely self sufficient up there so I was rather tentative about braving the battle zone downstairs. Luckily he wasn't home. Dinner was delicious (thank you Zoy pasta) and I gorged on wine and candy treats for dessert while we watched Hanna (Eric Bana!).

Yesterday was our last day with the 3 kittens Randall, Callie and Leonard. They have been the most gorgeous, loving, affectionate and needy kitties we've had this year. Yes, they've also spewed nearly every day in new and mysterious places but when they snuggle up under your chin you forget all that. They did not enjoy the subway ride down the Union Square but relaxed once at the shelter. I was horrified to spy Wario lying in a cage, yet to be adopted! I thought for sure all those kittens would be gobbled up in an instant. Everyone keep your fingers crossed he finds his forever home soon.

In return for our kitten exchange we received one giant, grey with white paws, behemoth lady cat called Rosie. She is the LOUDEST cat I've ever heard and we were almost evicted from the cab on the way home. She spent the evening chilling out in the bathroom and has slowly and curiously explored the rest of the apartment today. She has allowed some patting and one quick smooch but is still finding her bearings. Timon is a pretty good cat whisperer so hopefully she will settle in quickly. I anticipate that she will only be with us for 2 weeks. Let's make them happy ones.