The site’s been pretty dead since the end of June. First I was in China for two weeks and then I hopped on over to the San Diego Comic-Con, which I’ll have more news of in the next day or two. The convention was a blast, but after several years of attending I’ve noticed (besides the oft complained overcrowding) it’s been getting a bit stale. At least the Hollywood side of things, which has been itself crowding out the comics aspect of the comic book convention. (More on all that later.) But what I did see this year was the English-dubbed “Ponyo,” Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated marvel. If you’ve enjoyed “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Princess Mononoke,” or “Spirited Away,” among many others, then Miyazaki is your man. Walt Disney Pictures’ American release arrives this weekend and I highly encourage you all go see it. Check out the trailer if you’re not convinced.

There’s a movie coming out that’s riding the vampire bandwagon but I’m really hoping it delivers on the premise it’s purporting to involve: What happens after the vampires become the dominant species? What happens when their natural resources start running out, namely food, as in humans? Directors Michael and Peter Spierig try to answer those questions with “Daybreakers,” starring Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe. The film’s first trailer and poster have been released by Lionsgate and it looks pretty good.

So that’s it for the introductions. So far the site has been more for myself, trying to (slowly) get back into the swing of things, be it the film world or just writing in general. I’ll be regularly experimenting with the three recurring features on this site: Midnight Roundup (news), Review Snippets, and Ad Watch (any P.R.-related materials) until I “get it right.” Until then, please bear with me.

Clips

• “Flame and Citron“
• “The Hurt Locker” (opening scene)

Pictures

• “Alice in Wonderland“
• “Iron Man 2“

Posters

Turner Classic Movies has some beautiful posters for their Summer Under the Stars programming. And speaking of beautiful posters, I just bought some from Mondo, including “Electra Glide in Blue,” “Alien,” “Lifeforce,” and “Re-Animator,” as well as a t-shirt for “Troll 2.” I wish I had never discovered this company.

• “9” (characters)
• “Alice in Wonderland” (characters)
• “Avatar“
• “The Box“
• “Inglourious Basterds” (characters)
• “Jonah Hex“
• “A Nightmare on Elm Street“
• “Prince of Persia“
• “The Surrogates“

Web Sites

• “Paul“

Trailers

• “Big Fan“
• “The Box“
• “Cemetery Junction“
• “Couples Retreat“
• “District 9“
• “Flame and Citron“
• “The Girl By the Lake“
• “Halloween 2“
• “The Informant!“
• “Inglourious Basterds“
• “The Invention of Lying“
• “Jennifer’s Body” (red band)
• “The Last Airbender“
• “I Love You, Phillip Morris” (international)
• “Micmacs A Tire-Larigot” (French)
• “Ninja Assassin“
• “Ong Bak 2” (French)
• “The Pacific“
• “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief“
• “RoboGeisha“
• “Whip It“
• “Whiteout“