NASCAR Ken Block Thrashes Universal Studios Backlot

From the video description: DC Shoes and Ken Block present Gymkhana FOUR: The Hollywood Megamercial. GYM4 surpasses the high-production style of Gymkhana TWO with even more spectacular effects shot in the backlots of Universal Studios, California. Filmed over the course of five days, director Ben Conrad (Zombieland and 30 Seconds or Less) and his team at Logan deliver a Hollywood caliber production complete with pyrotechnics, massive stunts and a series of unbelievable tricks. Featuring robotic sharks, deranged zombies, and a hilarious cameo by the Epic Meal Time guys, Ken Block and his Hybrid FunctionHoon Vehicle (H.F.H.V.) bring the magic of Hollywood and gymkhana together.

Knights of Badassdom Comic-Con 2011 Discussion Panel

Here is the video for the entire discussion panel with the cast and the movie director for the yet to be signed LARP action film Knights of Badassdom. This video includes the question and answer section where I was the last person who was able to ask a question for the panel. The video is about 98% uncut and uncensored. There are a couple of small sections removed from the video that includes the copyrighted material from the movie itself (i.e. the presentation of the movie trailer and a film clip or two).

River Tam versus Cameron Phillips, Who Would Win?

For a couple of years now there has been a question that I was hoping to receive an official answers. This might be as close to an official answer as I will ever hear. My question is who would win a face-off battle: River Tam from the Firefly television series or Cameron Phillips from The Sarah Connor Chronicles television series? While attending San Diego Comic-Con 2011 the opportunity presented itself to ask the actress who played both roles. Although she was prompted to an answer by the audience members, who I was one of the vocal participants, she went with a semi-official answer. The first embedded video is a recording of the giant projection screen where you could see a good shot of Summer Glau answering the question, and the second video is a wide shot from behind the Q&A microphone located in the audience. [EDITED TO ADD: The cell phone footage has been updated to a high definition capture. Awesome!] As a bonus element the second video also includes the question and answer session with Comic-Con internet sensation Bob Stencil.

Primary Video of the Question and Answer

Bonus Video Guest Starring Bob Stencil

For more articles and media items related to the Matte Havoc press coverage of Comic-Con visit the designated convention section here: San Diego Comic-Con.

Ronald Reagan, Hollywood, and the Political Arena

VIDEO SYNOPSIS: At Freedom Fest this last July, Reason Magazine's Matt Welch spoke with Marc Eliot, author of Reagan: The Hollywood Years. The book chronicles Ronald Reagan's journey from sportscaster to actor to union president to politician. Unlike critics who make sport of Reagan's Hollywood output (Bedtime for Bonzo, anyone?), Eliot documents how backlot politics helped transform the once-proud "New Deal Democrat" into the embodiment of Goldwater conservatism. His tenure as head of the Screen Actors Guild was punctuated by episodes such as the time when he received death threats by one of Al Capone's henchmen over a union dispute and his starring role in the negotiations that led to actors receiving residuals. And while Reagan's film career ultimately petered out, he was for a time among the highest-paid contract actors of his day. Shot by Jim Epstein and Zach Weissmueller, edited by Anthony L. Fisher. Held each July in Las Vegas, Freedom Fest is attended by around 2,000 limited-government enthusiasts and libertarians a year. Reason TV spoke with over two dozen speakers and attendees and will be releasing interviews over the coming weeks.

J.J. Abrams asks "What's in the Box?"

Film director J.J. Abrams was invited to do a TED conference presentation. During his speech he talks about his grandfather as an inspiration in his life among many other topics.

VIDEO SYNOPSIS: J.J. Abrams traces his love for the unseen mystery, a passion that is evident in his films and television shows, including Cloverfield, Lost and Alias, back to its magical beginnings. TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes -- including speakers such as Jill Bolte Taylor, Sir Ken Robinson, Hans Rosling, Al Gore and Arthur Benjamin. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10.

New Photos of Costumes for Bane and Catwoman

The character of Bane first appeared in the Batman films as a sidekick henchman for Poison Ivy in the movie Batman & Robin (1997). I have not met a single person who truthfully enjoyed that movie above all the others in the history of Batman movies, therefore allowing plenty of room for the return of the villains from that movie to be offered a second chance at a proper treatment in a new movie installment. Christopher Nolan has proven to offer a bit of justice by bringing in Joker for The Dark Knight (2008) allowing the audience to really see how insane the character can be portrayed. I am hoping he will offer an equal amount of opportunity for the character of Bane to demonstrate his true colors. Here are a few photos of actor Tom Hardy in the role of Bane as he straddles above the ceiling of a military tumbler. The costume may not be exactly like the comic book drawings, but with the jagged tooth face mask proves the character may be utilizing powerful venom that provides his superhuman strength. In the comics the venom is injected through a tube tied into the back of his heard, but in these photos there might be a chance that he inhales through an aerosol gas of some kind.



The return of Catwoman who has not been in a decent movie since Batman Returns (1992) and has officially arrived in a Christopher Nolan adaptation of the Batman universe for the new film The Dark Knight Rises. This time around Catwoman will be portrayed by Anne Hathaway (holla!) and the photos of the cat suit just arrived online in the last couple of days. The photos that have been embedded below show Anne Hathaway in the full body outfit as well as her stuntwoman in the outfit while riding a custom made bike. I am rather disappointed in the costume when I glance at the Anne’s full length photograph since the outfit appears to be a lackluster ensemble. It is just so bland and uninteresting, but I sure do hope it will appear different on the big screen when she is in full motion.



While the production crew is filming in Pittsburgh, PA there was a local resident who snapped a couple of video clips of the camouflage painted tumbler. It appears to be the same vehicle seen in a couple of the photographs of Bane.

The Tumbler Vehicle in Full Camouflage Design

Dinner with Jean Reno, Kristen Bell, and Craig Ferguson

One of my favorite films of the 1990s would be Luc Besson’s cult classic action film Leon: The Professional (1994) starring French actor Jean Reno alongside rookie actress Natalie Portman in her feature film debut. It was exciting news for me when I heard Jean Reno would appear on five consecutive episodes of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson when the talk show heads to Paris, France for the first week of August 2011. Embedded below is all five video clips from the show when Craig Ferguson sat down for a meal with actors Luc Besson and Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars, Forgetting Sarah Marshall).

PART ONE: August 1, 2011

PART TWO: August 2, 2011

PART THREE: August 3, 2011

PART FOUR: August 4, 2011

PART FIVE: August 5, 2011