London Film Comic Con 2016

London Film Comic Con took place this weekend and it was full of cosplayers, a few photos shoots, plenty of celebrities who you can have your photo taken with (for a price), cars from films and lots and lots of geeky stuff to buy. Sounds like heaven doesn’t it? Well, unfortunately it wasn’t.

I went full of anticipation, only to feel a little bit let down, perhaps I should have done my research. I suppose it was never going to be as good or as big as SDCC but it just feels like you go inside to empty your wallet and that’s mostly it. This is me very much nitpicking but there seems to be a very empty atmosphere when you walk around certain areas of Olympia London. Inside there were stalls selling comics, artwork, DVDs, replicas and so on but there are huge wide open spaces where you could fit more or have somewhere to sit rather than the floor. I don’t know why this bothers me but it made it feel quite sad in places.

Now this isn’t to say it was all bad. There were plenty of opportunities where you can take your photo for free. For example with any of the cosplayers and a few of the cars, plus there was a really fantastic Suicide Squad section which I really loved! But being told off for taking a photo of one of the many famous faces around is a joke! Yes they need to make money, no we don’t all want to be ripped off for the “privilege” of being in the photo with them.

What you can buy inside is truly amazing, and surprisingly not a rip off! Plenty of offers and cheap decent items to fill your nerdy desires. The artwork was fantastic, a really eclectic range when it came to framed and printed art, lots of incredible replicas, pieces being auctioned, comics being sold, collectors items including pin badges, buttons Pop figures and such for sale. I even saw Stromtrooper armour for sale. It’s an amazing range to see, but that is mostly what it is. Stalls to buy things from.

The best part of going? Seeing my friend Charlie and meeting her friend Hollie. Both awesome, both geeks. So I suggest, if you ever go to something like, go with people who are similar to you, those who might enjoy it, those who are geeky enough for you to get your geek on.

My haul from the day, not bad!

Keep. It. Reel.

Vue Cinemas and Prop Store film memorabilia auction

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to hold the Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory or ride Marty McFly’s hoverboard from Back to the Future: Part II? Imagine no more! Vue Cinemas have teamed up with Prop Store to bring you a live auction of all sorts of film memorabilia on the 1st of October. Being held at Vue Westfield, London, the public have the chance to view these items two weeks before the auction takes place.

This is the biggest auction of its kind and it will feature over 300 original film props which are worth over £1 million. One of the best items in the lot, in my humble and geeky opinion, is the miniature model of the Batmobile from Batman Forever, estimated to go for £20,000 – £25,000.

The auction lot includes items to suit all price ranges including a film crew jacket from the set of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace which is estimated to go for around £80 and the most lucrative prop being auctioned is the aluminium chair, designed as a concept for Dune, created by the late H.R Giger and is expected to fetch up to £80,000.

Tim Richards, CEO of Vue Entertainment International said: “We’re delighted to be hosting this amazing collection of film memorabilia – one of the biggest of its kind, at Vue Westfield. From serious collectors and keen investors to film fanatics and movie buffs, we are expecting a high level of interest from a whole host of people eager to grab a slice of real film history. It’s the first time an auction on this scale has been held in a cinema, so it should make for an entertaining evening , while the exhibition will ensure that everyone who wants to get an intimate look at some of these amazing and iconic props can do so absolutely free!”

Stephen Lane, Prop Store Founder, said: “After 16 years in the film industry, selling movie props and costumes to collectors around the world, we’re incredibly proud to announce our first ever live auction. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Britain’s leading cinema chain, Vue, and the stunning venue they are providing for the event. We’ve been working on this for many months and we plan to make it an event like nothing else before.”

“The live auction will excite all those who view the treasures in the free exhibition at Vue Westfield and thrill those who participate in live auction itself. We are delighted to present an original movie prop and costume auction like no other.”

Items included in the Lot and value estimates

• Marty McFly’s (Michael J. Fox) Hoverboard – Back to the Future: Part II – £10 – 15K
• Captain Nemo’s Nautilus Car – The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – £40 – 60K
• Batmobile Model Miniature – Batman Forever – £20 – 25K
• The Terminator’s Leather Biker Costume – Terminator 2: Judgment Day – £18 – 22K
• Wonka’s Golden Ticket – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – £15 – 20K
• Scaramanga’s Short Sleeve Shirt – James Bond: The Man with the Golden Gun – £5 – 7K

The Prop Store Live Auction in partnership with Vue Cinemas will take place at Vue Westfield in London on Thursday 16^th October. Auction items will be on display at a free exhibition at Vue Westfield, open to the public from Thursday 1^st October until Thursday 16^th October.

My 100th Post

This is my 100th blog post. It’s been a long road to get to this point but I think it’s been worth it. Recently I’ve started to follow more and more bloggers on WordPress as well as Twitter and it’s one hell of a community. There are some really wonderful film blogs out there, some very alternative ones, some interesting mainstream ones, those which cover classic films, the ones who love the indies. I urge you to check them out, here’s a few links to some really good ones I’ve seen.

http://letsstartwiththisone.blogspot.co.uk/

http://lukesfilmblog.com/

http://mrmarakai.wordpress.com/

http://legallybod.wordpress.com/

http://adashofcinema.com/

http://emptyscreens.com/

http://moviewise.wordpress.com/

I have done a lot too, been to so many things, events, cinemas, just had a great time since I started this blog. I’ve been to the London Film Festival twice (first time getting to meet Marion Cotillard and then meeting Ralph Fiennes), visited the brilliant and gorgeous Aubin Cinema, returned to the IMAX twice in one year (once for the Dark Knight Rises and once for Gravity), finally made it to the Rooftop Cinema Club in Shoreditch, been to the Harry Potter World at the Warner Brother Studios in Watford, watched countless films, bought countless DVDs (my collection recently surpassed 400), went to my very first film marathon at the Prince Charles Cinema, went to the awful Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, got to go to the James Bond in Motion exhibition, Sundance London’s first and second year and the VFX Festival which I didn’t even know existed until a few weeks before I went.  Here’s a few photos from the past two years

For this post, I wanted to include something a bit random and special. Vue Cinemas have kindly provided me with a link to this make-up tutorial to create a high street look similar to that of Angelina Jolie’s in Disney’s new film, Maleficent. A really good video tutorial with the talented Marcos Gurgel who has worked on several diverse projects including The Voice, Strictly Come Dancing, and on titles such as Radio Times, Sunday Times and OK! magazine. He has recently worked on shows during London and Paris Fashion weeks. Have a look below

I also wanted to include a few other images which I’ve seen recently, it’s a mix of all odds and sods, some new films, posters, random images of actors and the Batman exhibition opening in LA. Fingers crossed they bring that here.

As for the future of this blog, don’t worry this isn’t where I will sign off for good. In fact not a tall. I’ve got plenty of ideas coming up including an online film festival, visiting more unusual cinemas, going to more film festivals in London and around the country, interviews with those who are up and coming in the movie industry, once again staying up for the Oscars and just so much more I don’t want to tell you about just yet!

Thanks for reading and as ever, Keep. It. Reel

Batman vs. Superman – official images and sad Batman.