SDCC 50 Day 2

I started the day with an interview of Thanos creator Jim Starlin, then attended panels on composing for television, “game-changing” women (including “Clueless” costume designer Mona May!),  the “You’re Wrong, Leonard Maltin” panel, with people objecting to bad reviews from one of the all-time greatest movie critics and historians — and one of the all-time greatest and most gracious humans.  The vigorously defended films included some critical darlings and audience favorites like “Taxi Driver” and “Blade Runner” and “The Princess Bride” but also some with few — but passionate — fans (this is SDCC, after all) like “Bonfire of the Vanities” (defended by IMDB founder Colin Needham). Then there were those who thought Maltin had been too kind to films like “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.” One audience member brought up Maltin’s most embarrassing mistake — in a short documentary about “High Noon” he said the film gave Gary Cooper his only Oscar, forgetting “Sergeant York.”  And another asked how we should look at Oscar-winner “Gigi” in light of its storyline about a family training a teenager to be a courtesan.

Then I got to attend a press event for “Cobra Kai,” a real pleasure to chat with the original stars of “The Karate Kid” and the people who brought them back for this very popular new show.  Stay tuned for more details.