It's been a long time since a post, but I've been busy, busy with projects. Like a lot of bloggers, the blog led to other things that unfortunately took time away from blogging. One of those has been production of Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, my forthcoming film on comic book writer Warren Ellis.
We're currently running a Kickstarter campaign to help finance the film, and I'd love your support!
And, hopefully I'll have some time for some more posts soon!
If you haven't already had a chance to check it out, my film Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods has been released and is now available for purchase all over. I've had a great time screening the film all around the country, and have been thrilled by the really positive response the film has been received. You can see some of the reviews here, and for a quick sampling, here's some pull quotes...
"A bold, brave, and honest look at an artist whose life is worthy of this type of attention" - Aint it Cool News
"An instant classic" - Wired
"Don't miss it!" - G4's Attack of the Show
"The charismatic subject of this admiring portrait will intrigue the previously unconverted" - Variety
"A no-brainer if you're a Morrison fan, a Vertigo acolyte, or a comic book history buff" - io9
"Drop dead gorgeous...An absorbing film." - Bleeding Cool
"Beautiful to look at...There's just this air of coolness that exudes for the duration" - The Examiner
"I couldn't take my eyes away...interesting and entertaining for experienced Morrison scholars and casual readers alike."
- Comics Alliance
If you're interested in checking it out, I'd recommend ordering the film from the Halo 8 Store, since that's the cheapest price, and cuts out the middlemen, but it's also on Amazon and a variety of other outlets.
And, if you've already seen it, I'd love to hear what you thought and would be happy to answer any questions.
It's been crazy times over here as I get ready for the theatrical release of Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods. The film will be screening nationwide in the next few weeks, here's a brief rundown of the schedule...
New York - October 9th at Cinema Village with Director/Producer Q&A (Ticket Info Here)
New York - October 10th at New York Comicon 20 Minute Film Preview and Director/Producer Q&A
San Francisco - October 8th - October 13 at the Roxie (Buy Tickets Here)
Philadelphia - October 15th with Director/Producer Q&A (Ticket Info Here)
Boston - October 17th with Director/Producer Q&A (Ticket Info Here)
Los Angeles - October 21st with Director/Producer/Special Guest Q&A (Ticket Info Here)
It's been a while since I've had a chance to blog. I've seen a few things that piqued my interest, Inception, the most recent episode of Mad Men and reading the last volume of Scott Pilgrim, but it's been mostly business these past few weeks. 
The big event was my trip to San Diego Comicon, an amazing time for a variety of reasons. I was there for two main reasons, first was the panel for Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods. That was a huge success, we had 400 people in the audience, got a bunch of great audience questions and all our clips went over well. It was really encouraging to get that kind of response since the film has been in editing so long without getting that much feedback from the general public. Hopefully the finished product will go over as well. 
It's pretty weird being a panelist, but I really enjoyed it and felt like there was a good rhythm between the audience and Jordan and I on stage. It was also really exciting to have Frazer Irving guest on the panel and give us some insights. Grant himself didn't make the panel, but I did spend all of Friday following him around and shooting stuff for the doc. We also screened the current cut for Grant at his house on Wednesday, which was a surreal, but exciting experience. He enjoyed it, though he did point out a few factual inaccuracies that we've got to take care of. That was definitely a life high point, to be sitting there talking with Grant about my film of his life and throwing ideas back and forth about it. 
Other than that, I was shooting some interviews for the Warren Ellis doc, and a couple more pickups for Grant. You can catch part of that chronicled in Heidi MacDonald's report on the con, in which Jordan and I are given aliases to hide our food scavenging!
I can definitely sympathize with her exhausted sentiment about the con, but I was much better prepared this year than last, and in general had an absolutely awesome time. It's not every week that you get to have lunch with one of the artists from The Invisibles, trail Grant Morrison for four hours, and talk with one of the voice actors from End of Evangelion. I had a lot of really great conversations, and met a lot of awesome people. The stereotype is definitely the nerdy Comicon attendee, of which there are many, but there are also a lot of really cool, motivated people who are on their way up in various creative fields. So, I had a fantastic time and can't wait to get back out there next year. I even got into Hall H on Thursday and caught an awesome panel with Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams.
Speaking of Joss Whedon, I also got the chance to interview Amber Benson for the Grant doc, which was great. She's very cool in person, and told us of her crying during We3.
I also want to point to Sequart's recently announced Watchmen anthology, featuring an essay by me on the Watchmen film and what it reveals about the comic. The book features essays from a lot of great comics minds, and should be a really fun read. It debuts at Sequart's New York Comicon booth, where I'll definitely be hanging out, signing some books if anyone wants them. 
Also, if you haven't picked it up yet, Our Sentence is Up, my Invisibles book, is now available on Amazon.com. I'm really proud of it, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who's read the series. 
The Grant film will wrap editing on September 1st, at which point I'll hopefully be able to blog some more, though I've also got to get into editing on the second volume of The Third Age, and work more on the Warren Ellis film. The Ellis film is going to be a pretty radical approach to documentary, very different from the Morrison one. That will likely be released in October 2011.
I haven't posted in a while, mainly because I've been hard at work bringing the Grant Morrison documentary to a finish. We're having one of our biggest events yet today, a panel at San Diego Comicon! I'm out here already and had a great day today in Hall H and all around the con, then tomorrow it's down to business. Here's all the panel info, I hope to see you there.
Get a first look at the upcoming feature-length documentary chronicling the life and work of one of comics’ greatest writers, Grant Morrison. Featuring extensive interviews with Morrison himself as well as key collaborators, the film takes you inside Morrison’s creative process and explores how his life and work have become inextricably intertwined. Moderated by FJ De Santo (producer, The Spirit), the panel features Patrick Meaney (director), Jordan Rennert (DP/producer), and a special guest!
This weekend, I'm making the leap from comicon attendee to comicon panelist, when my Respect Films colleagues and I do a panel/preview of our upcoming Grant Morrison documentary at Chicago's C2E2 Comicon. The panel will be taking place on Saturday from 1:45 to 2:45 in Room E271A. 
We're going to be screening about 15 minutes of material from the film, the first time any material will be publicly screened. You'll get to see a lot of interesting visual stuff from Grant's archives, and hear from many of the big collaborators over the years. We'll also be announcing and screening the trailer for a new project at the end of the panel, so you won't want to miss that!
I'll also be signing copies of my Invisibles book, Our Sentence is Up, if you want to grab a copy of that. Matt Fraction recently called it "Indispensable. Belongs on your Morrison shelf right after THE INVISIBLE KINGDOM and right before JLA." You must heed that advice!
If you're wondering why there was no Lost post this week, or any posts at all, the short answer is that I've been in the UK doing more shooting for the Grant Morrison documentary! It's been a while time, and if you want a glimpse of some of the adventure, head over here to see some images from the trip. It's been pretty surreal to get to interview Grant in the first place, but to then get to interview him and Frank Quitely simultaneously, and also head out to his amazing house has been a surreal privilege. Look for a full account of the full journey when I return, but for now, let me give you some recommended reading...
Yup, that's the final release copy of my book Our Sentence is Up. The book started with all The Invisibles posts I did here, but was then edited, expanded and topped off with a 70 page interview with Morrison. One fan was lucky enough to get a picture with the author!
It's available at fine comic stores all over, even the Forbidden Planet here in Glasgow, and if you want to order a copy online, hit up Forbidden Planet's website. I'm really proud of the book, and would love to hear the feedback of any readers who've had a chance to check it out. You'll also be able to grab a copy from me at C2E2 comicon in Chicago next month.
Look for a more thorough update when I return, but for now, let me leave you with this...
Here's the last episode of Volume One! Zinone mulls an intriguing proposal from Jerrod Woolf, and makes a decision that will irrevocably change his world. The apocalypse begins here!
I'm really proud of this episode, and the series as a whole. Thanks to everyone who's been watching, and I'm eager to hear your thoughts on the season finale. And, if you aren't caught up, head over to http://watch.thethirdagebegins.com, where you can see all our previous episodes.
Also, look for a Lost post later tonight, and some more content later this week!
Check out the latest episode of my psychedelic webseries, The Third Age! With one episode to the finale, Zinone finds himself wondering whether he's a prisoner or a guest at Woolf Pharmaceutical!
In other news, check back later today for a post about the Lost premiere.
Here's the new episode of my webseries, The Third Age. This week, Holly, Zinone and Morning are on the run and facing a crossroads! Not all will make it 'In Exile.'
Sorry for the lack of posts of late, I was on vacation last week, but I'm back in the game this week and will have some new words for you shortly. In other news, I'm doing the final run through of my Invisibles book, Our Sentence is Up, and it will be on store shelves in mid February.
A bit late on this one, but here's episode nine! Check it out and let me know what you think. Look for some more posts shortly.
This week, The Third Age kicks into high gear. After completing her ritual with Morning, Holly knows what she has to do, but can she do it? And, Jerrod Woolf's vision reaches a critical point, thirty years of work and it's all lead to this!
If you're just joining us, The Third Age is a fantasy/sci-fi webseries that I produce/execute, you can check out all previous episodes here: http://watch.thethirdagebegins.com
More blog stuff will be happening this week, stay tuned!
If you watch one episode of The Third Age, make it this one! This week, Holly leads a ritual to find out the truth about Morning, and is shocked by what she discovers! It's a more experimental episode than usual, and is my personal favorite of the series to date. I'd love to hear what you think.
In other news, after the epic posting frenzy of best of time, things will probably slow up for a bit. In the next couple of days, I'll be posting my most anticipated movies list for 2010, and in the next couple of weeks, Caprica, Lost and Big Love will start up, all shows I'll surely be writing about.
In this week's episode, Holly and Zinone catch up, while Jerrod meets some new friends. This episode is one of my favorites we've done so far, so give it a look, and let me know what you think of how things are developing.
And, if you haven't heard, The Third Age is a webseries I created and produce. It's been called "A combination of mad mythology and gritty verite," and takes a magical realist approach to classic mythological themes. If you like the kind of stuff I write about on here, you'll probably like the series. If you want to catch up on previous episodes, go here for an index.
Next week, the show is off, but it'll be back January 5th. In the meantime, prepare for the rest of the Best of the Decade posts, and some best of 2009 lists too!
And, if you've got a chance throw the show some support in the Streamys. We're targeting Best New Series or Best Experimental Series, but any votes would be appreciated!
Here's Episode Five of my webseries, The Third Age! In this episode, Christopher Zinone seeks the help of an old friend, and Jerrod Woolf continues his quest for the divine. There's a lot of interesting elements in this episode, and it sets up a new character dynamic for the series. Exciting stuff.
And, stay tuned for more best of the decade stuff later in the week.
Stay tuned this week on the blog for the first best of the decade lists dropping. Hopefully I'll be able to write up Best of songs, albums, TV episodes, TV shows, Comics and Films for both year and decade before we hit 2010. We shall see.
In the meantime, here's a couple new videos from me and Respect Films.
First up, episode 4 of The Third Age...
In this episode, Jerrod Woolf receives a mysterious message, and Morning begins to recognize her purpose. It's the shift from the show's 'Blue' period to the warmer 'Red' period. What does that mean? Find out for yourself! And, as always your comments and feedback are much appreciated.
And, if you didn't catch it on various outlets around the web, here's the new trailer for my Grant Morrison documentary, now officially titled, Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods...
This trailer spotlights the many interesting collaborators and peers of Grant's that we interviewed at San Diego Comicon and elsewhere. This week, I'm off to LA to do a few more interviews for the documentary, then into more serious editing.
Sorry for not posting much substantive content in the past few weeks. I've got a bunch of Decade and Year wrap up stuff in the works, but for now, it's time for more about the projects I'm working on. First off, the third episode of The Third Age...
This is my favorite of the first three, and if you haven't checked it out at all yet, this is the perfect time to go back and watch from the start, since the first three form something of a unit.
Also, you can check out a writeup of the upcoming Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods on Wired. Enjoy some words from me, as well as a couple of exclusive clips of Grant speaking about our world vs. superhero worlds, and the George Bush administration. Exciting to see it getting so much publicity, it's always weird to see yourself turn up on the sites in your RSS feed.
What he says about the Bush administration is particularly relevant in light of the rapid deterioration of the Obama administration and his insanely misguided decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. We as a nation cannot have it all, we have to prioritize and it's sickening to watch people prioritize spending billions more on killing people in a futile war when we can't get a health care bill, or to go to war in service of 'freedom' with an army that doesn't allow openly gay people to serve for a country were gay people can't get married. Really strange stuff, and Obama is making no effort to be a leader and make a change happen. With this decision about Afghanistan, he's ensured that I'll be seeking out a third party candidate in the 2012 election.
Thanks to everyone who checked out the first episode of the show last week. If you liked that one, press on with the exciting second episode! And, as always, I'd love to hear what you think. And, if you like the episode, please post on your blog/Facebook/Twitter/tell your friends. We're trying to build an audience and every little bit helps!
And, if you didn't see the last post, The Third Age is a weekly webseries that I created and showrun. It's a magical realist story, a modern reinterpretation of mythology that should appeal to people who like the kind of stuff I write about here. Give it a look!
The webseries I've been working on for a while is finally live! Check out Episode One of The Third Age, embedded below.
The show has been called "An acid trip in web video form" by Tubefilter, so give it a look, and let me know what you think!
A long time ago, I mentioned that I was working on a magical realist webseries project called The Third Age, and now, after two long years in production, it's finally being released. The debut date is November 17th, new episodes will be released weekly after that. So, if you're wondering, what will I think about now that Mad Men is ending, well you're in luck because T3A will be dropping upon you. 
Here's an excerpt from the press docs on the series to give you an idea of what it's about: "The Third Age is a magical realist webseries, a psychedelic remix of classic mythology, telling the story of ordinary people caught up in an eternal war between gods waged on the streets of New York City. The first season consists of thirteen seven minute episodes, distributed by Blip.TV, and will be released weekly, starting November 17th.
The series blends fantasy elements with a reality based setting to tell a story that is personal in focus, but epic in scope. The story crosses a wide range of characters and scenarios, and will unfold in its entirety over the course of two thirteen episode seasons."
You can see more info on the official site or check out the trailers here to get a taste of the visual experience. To keep tabs on the progress, check out the news blog or join the Facebook group.
Also, if you write for a blog or other media outlet, let me know, I'd be happy to set you up with a review screener. Thanks!
