By Jon Waterhouse

You didn't need a souped-up Delorean and 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to get back to the future at DragonCon this year.

It was a mini reunion of sorts as “Back to the Future” cast members Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and James Tolkan sign autographs and chat with fans. Thompson played Marty McFly’s mom, and Tolkan served up some nastiness as principal Strickland in the film. But it was Lloyd who stole the show as Doc Brown, the frizzy-haired inventor who sends Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) 30 years into the past.

Lloyd took some time to step back into his own past and talk about the ’80s time-traveling classic.

MTV Geek: Your role as Doc Brown in “Back to the Future” is something that seems to keep coming back, whether it’s video games or other projects.

Christopher Lloyd: It’s amazing, because back when we did the film and it was released we were just hoping it would have a good run. And then the sequels came up, two and three, and it just doesn’t die. [Laughs] It just keeps manifesting itself in one way or another, and it’s a delight. It’s especially gratifying that so many generations [have enjoyed the movies.] Parents come up to me who were children when the film first came out 25, 26 years ago. And they now have kids who have seen it and are as enthralled by the trilogy as they were. So it just keeps running along, and it’s wonderful to see so many people loving a film that meant a lot to them. Many people come up to me who saw the film when they were young, 10 or 12 years old, and they say it changed their lives and gave them a direction. It’s just great to see that and be involved in a project like that.

MTV Geek: Why do you think “Back To The Future” has such staying power?

Christopher Lloyd: Time travel is a universal fantasy I’m sure we all have. At one point or another we think, “Gee, if I could go back to this or that time in the past, or if I could just jump ahead 50 years or 300 years into the future to see what that would be like.” It’s kind of a universal fantasy and the film kind of answers to that. And then there’s the relationship between Doc Brown and Marty. It’s a classic mentor relationship. There’s this young man who has this older guy who fascinates him because of his spirit of discovery and the excitement of that. Finding out about new things and new ways life can be lived I think is another great universal situation. And it’s a family picture. There are the time travel aspects between Doc and Marty, but Marty has a family. And we see that family evolve. It’s got a lot going for it.

MTV Geek: I read that out of the three “Back To The Future” films, the third one is your favorite, because it’s a Western and a love story.

Christopher Lloyd: That’s right. Doc meets somebody he falls in love with, something he did not include in his life. His life was [about] inventing things, being a scientist and inventing time travel. So he had no time for romance. And then bingo, out of the blue comes this lady, and he’s just blown over by her, totally smitten. So that’s a lot of fun. ...And it’s a Western. Westerns are always exciting with horseback riding and all that business. So out of all the three that was the most fun for me being Doc.

Related Posts:
Dragon-Con 2011: Anatomy Of A Cosplayer
Elvira Haunts Dragon-Con

--

Discuss this story in our Movies/TV forums! Follow @MTVGeek on Twitter and be sure to "like" us on Facebook for the best geek news about comics, toys, gaming and more!

Tags back to the future, Christopher Lloyd, Dragon Con

By Jon Waterhouse

It’s a steady rumble of conversation and laughter in the lobby of the Marriott Marquis, one of the hotel hubs of DragonCon. It’s a time of geeky revelry, but in a certain room on the fifth floor, it’s all business.

A group of cosplayers are busy getting their outfits together in time to show off their wares at the convention.

Mandy Akins has her sewing kit spread out across her bed. She’s busy adding some steam punk bling to a belt for a costume she describes as “heiress meets mercenary.”

“There’s no back story to this character,” she says. “The best part about steam punk is it gives you creative license.”

And Akins is taking that fact to heart. For her original character, she grabbed a Renaissance dress and built a bustle for it. She’ll crown herself with a wig with a giant feathered hairpiece in the back. Her weaponry are refashioned Nerf and Super Soaker guns. Both boast cool features, but on closer examination it’s just a couple of air caps off of a pair of tires and some fuses. But it works.

Cosplayer Mandy Akins fashioned Nerf and Super Soaker guns into steam punk cosplay props.
Photo credit: Jon Waterhouse

“I’ve been doing cosplay at DragonCon since 2002,” says Akins. “It’s kind of an instant gratification kind of thing. I love to sew and have been sewing since I was 10. And it’s great to get the satisfaction of finishing a costume and then showing it off.” Read more...

Tags cosplay, Dragon Con

By Jon Waterhouse

Actress Cassandra Peterson single handedly changed the horror host world forever with the character Elvira, the queen of TV horror hostesses. Add to that a career that continues to be filled with amazing experiences. She’s worked alongside everyone from Federico Fellini to Pee-wee Herman to Cheech & Chong. And when she was a young Las Vegas showgirl, she even stole a kiss from Elvis Presley. Peterson is currently hosting the syndicated “Elvira’s Movie Macabre,” which is now on DVD. And she can be caught “in the flesh and not much else,” she says, at DragonCon.

MTV Geek: You’ve been portraying Elvira for 30 years now and you look fantastic. What’s your secret?

Cassandra Peterson: I actually sleep in a jar of vinegar and get pickled. That’s pretty much all you can do. Actually I eat pretty healthy and I exercise a lot, so that’s pretty much my secret. Read more...

Tags Dragon Con, Elvira

While comic books and fantasy characters made up a fair amount of the costumes at this year's Dragon-Con, movies and television also played a huge role. Of course, there tends to be a crossover with comic book-based movies, but the looks are generally so different that it's almost like a different character completely. Here's a look at some of our favorite movie and TV-based costumes from the show!

Read more...

Tags cosplay, Costumes, Dragon Con, Dragon-Con 2011, Iron Man, Joker, mtv, MTV Geek, Terminator 2, Wilfred, WWE

By Jon Waterhouse

DragonCon guest Virginia Hey holds the rare distinction of being the inspiration for two different character action figures available on the market at the same time. That’s some serious geek cred.

Her roles as the Warrior Woman in The Road Warrior and as Zhann on the sci-fi TV series Farscape helped bring those toys to life. But before moving into TV and film, Hey had a career as a fashion model. Her film work started off with a bang with The Road Warrior. She later went on to land on the short and coveted list of Bond girls when she appeared in the James Bond film The Living Daylights. But she’s perhaps best known for her role as the blue-hued priestess on Farscape.

MTV Geek: So how did you move from modeling to acting all those years ago?

Virginia Hey: I had been modeling for quite a long time at that stage, off and on for about 10 years. One of the casting agencies I worked with was casting The Road Warrior. And a particular agent had asked me many, many, many times if I wanted to act. And I said, “No, no, no. It terrifies me. I don’t have any training. I’m happy doing modeling, and I eventually want to get back into doing art.” So she convinced me to read for The Road Warrior. She said, “Don’t worry. The character is wonderful. I think you’ll really like her. It’s not a real stretch for you, and there’s only about five lines of dialogue in the whole thing.” She tried to convinced me, and she begged me. I said, “No, no, no.” In the end I auditioned, and I was terrible. The director, George Miller, said it was one of the worst auditions he had ever seen. But he said, “Look, why don’t you do an improvisation, because you’ve got something.” So he had me do a series of improvisations, and he loved them. I got the role. Read more...

Tags Dragon Con, Farscape, Road Warrior, Virginia Hey

by George Holochwost

As much as we geeks would like to think some of our industry heroes require no introduction, most of our celebrities are fairly obscure to the uninitiated. This is not the case when it comes to Richard Garfield. As if it needs to be said, Richard Garfield is the creator of collectible card games (CCGs) - most notably Magic: The Gathering.

What some folks don't know about Richard Garfield is that he is also the creator of some extremely cool boardgames. Nonetheless, his newest offering is a fantastic treat called King of Tokyo, and lucky for us, Richard was all too happy to talk all about this city-smashing slug-fest of a game.

When I first started my talk with Mr. Garfield, he was fresh out of a panel and had just finished signing a stack of Magic cards. Accompanied by his family, I tried to be brief so that they could get back to enjoying their very busy convention experience. However, after my few quick questions, Richard pointed to his bag and mentioned that he was working on a new expansion for King of Tokyo and asked me if I'd like to try it out. With a resounding “TOTALLY!” I accepted his offer and later we met up to conduct our kaiju showdown. Read more...

Tags Dragon Con, King Of Tokyo, Magic: The Gathering, Richard Garfield

Cully Hamner sketches at DragonCon
Photo credit: Jon Waterhouse

By Jon Waterhouse

If nothing else DragonCon may be described as one big cavalcade of creativity. For Atlanta-based comic book artists, it’s a time to not only build upon their camaraderie, but to bolster each other’s inspiration.

“Ironically DragonCon is one of the very few times all of the Atlanta comics artists hang out together,” revealed Tom Feister, best known for creating “G.I. Joe” comic book covers for IDW. “We all keep in touch on Facebook and stuff like that, but even though we live in the same town, it’s hard to get us in the same room, because we’re on different schedules. So it’s like a little camp for us where we get to hang out and see each other.” Read more...

Tags Brian Stelfreeze, Cully Hamner, Dragon Con, Tom Feister

Steve Gonsalves (left) and Amy Bruni of the Syfy TV series "Ghost Hunters."

By Jon Waterhouse

While the cast of the Syfy network’s paranormal investigative series Ghost Hunters are usually the ones doing the investigating, at DragonCon 2011 these spooky sleuths were the ones under the microscope.

Several of the stars of Ghost Hunters were haunting DragonCon this year and participating in various panel discussions. On September 5, the last day of the con, haint hunters Steve Gonsalves and Amy Bruni led one of the last and largest Q&A sessions of DragonCon 2011.

The pair fielded a variety of questions including the following:

On some of their investigations not making it on television:
“There are a lot of places we’ve investigated that don’t make it on TV,” Gonsalves said. “Out of every 10 investigations, at least three don’t make it to air. It’s not necessarily because you didn’t get any results. ...The show is really more about the investigators. At a production meeting, I was told that it’s all about getting the audience invested in the cast and getting them to care.”

On one particular investigation that didn’t make it on air:
“There was a time during season one when we went to a house and the family out-of-their-minds mortified,” Gonsalves said. “It was a feeling I’ve never felt before. It was like getting smacked with a baseball bat; a really oppressive force. The landlord kicked the production team out. The producers said, ‘Well, we have to leave.’ We all left, but I ended up calling the family and meeting with them. I said, ‘Screw the production company.’ We had to meet with them.”

On one of the most frightening experiences that’s ever happened:
“We were at the Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, N.Y. I was with my friend Adam Blai, who is a demonologist,” Bruni said. “We passed room 585, and Adam felt something very angry in there. We went in, sat down and talked to whatever was there. I said, ‘It’s your chance to be heard.’ ...All of a sudden a piece of crown molding ripped off the wall by itself. I could hear the nails ripping out. It came off the wall and was flying at me. I started laughing, which is what I do when I’m scared. Then I started cursing. I really wish we could’ve captured that on camera.”

On how their live Hallloween shows differ from regular episodes:
“It’s six hours of live investigation, and it’s pretty insane,” Gonsalves said. “It’s much more organized and choreographed, because it’s live. The investigation isn’t set up or anything, but we’re all told to be in specific places.”

“It’s a legitimate investigation,” Bruni adds. “We have a totally different crew filming us. Usually it’s sports guys filming us, because they have experience doing live sports broadcasts, They usually have a good time making fun of us.”

Related Posts:
Battlestar Galactica Actor Richard Hatch Geeks Out At Dragon-Con
Dragon-Con: MTV Geek Interviews Animation Legend Ralph Bakshi

--

Discuss this story in our Comics forums! Follow @MTVGeek on Twitter and be sure to "like" us on Facebook for the best geek news about comics, toys, gaming and more!

Tags Dragon Con, Ghost Hunters, Syfy Channel

By George Holochwost

Over the last twenty years Monte Cook has left quite an impression on the role-playing hobby. Kicking off his career back in 1988 with his contributions to Iron Crown Enterprises' Creatures & Treasures 2 (for the Rolemaster system), he has since blazed a trail through modern gaming that is truly titanic in scope. From Call of Cthulhu to Marvel Super Heroes, and Dungeons & Dragons to his own version of the World of Darkness, Monte has worked on some of the most memorable properties in gaming.

As a guest of honor here at DragonCon, Monte Cook is a reminder to the community that gaming is still a vital and important part of the total DragonCon experience. Involved in a number of gaming related panels and discussions, many of Monte Cook's ideas on modern gaming were shared at his seminar at 4:00pm on Saturday. On Sunday, Monte was part of the Game Design Mastery panel; this seminar covered topics ranging from starting your own campaign, to dealing with the issues created by problem players, to how to simply make the best game possible.

As a gigantic fan of the property, I had to ask Monte a bit about the classic Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition setting Planescape. Spanning dozens of supplements, Planescape is a world full of extra-planar wonder and a host of unique characters and concepts that give the setting an incredible feel unlike any that came before it or since.

Read more...

Tags Dragon Con, Dungeons & Dragons, Hobby Gaming, Monte Cook

By Jon Waterhouse

When Star Wars fever blasted the world in the late ’70s, television answered quickly with Battlestar Galactica. The show garnered its own rabid sci-fi fan base and spawned a re-imagining in 2003 with a TV mini-series and subsequent series on Syfy

Actor Richard Hatch appeared on both, the first time around as Captain Apollo and as Tom Zarek on the later series. Hatch has taken a great interest in the “Galactica” mythos having co-written a series of Battlestar Galactica novels. He and his fans were geeking together at DragonCon this year.

MTV Geek: You’re a regular DragonCon guest. What do you think about the phenomenon of these types of conventions?

Richard Hatch: I think the world has discovered what I and many, many other fans of sci-fi and fantasy discovered many eons ago. Sci-fi conventions are probably the most fun, the most out-of-the-box, entertaining week or weekend you’ve ever had in your life. It’s for the whole family. The studios and networks have discovered it, because they can market to their niche audiences. And you get people from all walks of life, all ages, all backgrounds. Some of the most amazing human beings on the face of the planet go to sci-fi conventions, although I’m sure a few of them wouldn’t admit it. But I love this genre, I love “Battlestar,” I love visionary sci-fi stories, I love anime, I love fantasy. And plus I love great writing, great acting, great drama. What’s not to love?

MTV Geek: I understand lots of funny incidents went down on the set of the original Battlestar Galactica. You’re known to share these tales at DragonCon. Read more...

Tags Battlestar Galactica, Dragon Con, Richard Hatch