By Dahveed Kolodny-Nagy

Los Angeles, CA(Hollywood Today)9/21/12/—As an avid consumer of pop culture I had no choice but to spend the weekend at Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo.  Comikaze is nearly a perfect convention representing the full spectrum of fandom with Zombie Apocalypse, an interactive obstacle course with zombies, at one end and the Quidditch Tournament from the Harry Potter universe at the other, and a dazzling array of artists, comics, toys and games in-between.  Earlier in the year CEO Regina Carpinelli announced the rebranding of Comikaze, forming a partnership with veteran creator Stan Lee and the move seems to have paid off, allowing the show to grow impressively in size and scope.

Although there is now a number of separate panel rooms throughout the convention center, the main events take place on a huge stage right in the exhibit hall with bright LCD screens and a sound system rivaling most concert halls.  The stage builds excitement and unites the convention without overcrowding it.  Although very well attended, there is still space to walk down the aisles without getting trampled, unlike with a certain San Diego convention. Access to the show’s celebs is definitely easier at ComiKaze.  Sure, Adam West, Todd McFarlane, Felicia Day, and Mark Hamill all had lines but we’re not talking a two day camping experience but only a wait of five to 45 minutes.  The only real complaint I heard was slow sales from the dealers which may be attributed to the poor economy and the thousands of talented yet starving artists that are given free table space at the event who never have money to spend.  I applaud the effort to encourage and promote local artists and independent filmmakers so no complaint from me.

I spent most of my time enjoying two adrenaline-pumping indie films- “Bad Kids Go to Hell” and “Sushi Girl” and talking to the stars, writers and directors behind the films.  Interestingly, both films have stories set primarily in one location ala My Dinner with Andre and The Breakfast Club.  Way to go indie filmmakers proving that richly layered characters and powerful performances blow away tons of special effects and multitudes of exotic locations.
BAD KIDS GO TO HELL
Bad Kids started as a script written by Barry “Bazza” Wernick and Matthew Spradlin that was derailed by the 2007 writers strike so it found its audience initially as a successful comic book/graphic novel.  The comic did its job, making fans like myself anticipate the movie.  The overly complicated plot did its job, making me completely forget the story by the time I saw the movie.  An homage to The Breakfast Club, the storyline follows teenagers spending a Saturday in detention.  In Breakfast Club the students come to realize that they are all deeper than their respective stereotypes and hook up while in Bad Kids the students realize they are all horrible people and die in gruesome ways.  It’s an enjoyable combination of horror, comedy and Scooby Doo style mystery as the kids try to uncover the mastermind behind the deaths.  Although the plot is a bit overwrought for my taste, the performances are exceptional as each character’s layers are peeled away past the clichés, to their fragile cores.  Well worth watching even if you are not a fan of multiple and long flash-back sequences.  And the good news is there is a sequel in the works!   SUSHI GIRL
SUSHI GIRL is a thriller with the same mix of unnerving torture scenes and clever dialogue you would come to expect from Tarantino films but with the benefit of much more layered characters plus a more engaging and plausible premise.  The film is directed by Kern Saxton and written by Destin Pfaff and Saxton who weave a simple yet deeply interesting tale.  No convoluted plot that’s impossible to follow but a very simple tale populated with fascinating characters.  The story centers on “Fish” (Noah Hathaway), a criminal who served 6 years in jail for a robbery gone awry while protecting his partners.  The night he is released, his fellow robbers celebrate with a lavish meal served off the naked body of a beautiful young woman.

The sushi girl acts the part of an inanimate “tray,” never reacting to the increasing violence as the criminals try to find their missing loot.  Mark Hamill (Star Wars franchise), Tony Todd (Candyman) and Andy Mackenzie (MacGruber) play some of the most twisted, evil and delightfully interesting villains on screen.  Talking to some of the actors in person proves what great performers they are. Andy Mackenzie is the meanest guy on screen but the nicest guy in person.  James Duval (Donnie Darko) plays the criminal with a conscience that represents most of the viewers who are no doubt a bit squeamish about the increasingly gruesome acts of torture, including one scene where Hamill’s character performs unneeded dental work on a victim.  Yet Duval’s character is also richly layered as he battles substance abuse and inner demons.

The characters have a great deal of chemistry, possibly as a result of the actors being such good friends and staying in character on set.   In fact, McKenzie said they even texted each other in character, which resulted in some confusion.   Although this is certainly an actor’s movie, the cinematography and art direction on the film are also incredible with the opening scenes richly contrasting cold prison scenes with the warmth of the sushi girl preparing for the evening.  There are definitely some twists and turns you won’t see coming so that’s all I’m going to say about this fantastic film other than you gotta go see it!

“The ultra violet/premium VOD release date for Sushi Girl is November 27″

Stan Lee’s Comikaze presented by POW! – www.comikazeexpo.com
Bad Kids Go to Hell is coming soon in theaters December 7, 2012.  Follow the movie on Twitter @BadKidsGoToHell and Keep up to date with all things BKGtH by becoming a Fan on Facebook
SUSHI GIRL will be released by Phase 4 Films in theatres in the U.S. on January 4, 2013. Magnolia Home Entertainment will release SUSHI GIRL on DVD/Blu Ray, VOD, Redbox, Netflix and other top platforms on April 25, 2013 under their Magnet Releasing label.  Learn more about SUSHI GIRL by visiting the website: http://www.sushigirlmovie.com . Follow the film on Twitter at @SushiGirlMovie.

Photos taken by Chad Osuna