WonderCon kicked off its second day with a movie panel dedicated to 'Cowboys & Aliens,' a sci-fi/western directed by Jon Favreau ('Iron Man') co-starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Neither Craig nor Ford were in attendance, but screenwriter Roberto Orci ('Star Trek') was on hand to moderate a two-man panel (including himself). After dispensing with the obligatory thanks to the WonderCon audience, as well as mentioning 'Iron Man's' debut three years ago to positive feedback at WonderCon, Favreau briefly described the premise (explicit in the title), his interest in the project (the cowboys and aliens of the title again), and, after giving a shout out to he 'Green Lantern' footage con-goers saw last night, debuted nine minutes of 'Cowboys & Aliens' footage,.

The footage began with the appearance of Craig's character, Jake Lonergan, shot from behind as he rides a horse over a hill and into a seemingly deserted farmhouse or homestead. Lonergan meets the farmhouse's owner, Meacham (Clancy Brown). Initially, Lonergan claims he can't recall his name, how he got there, and how he obtained a futuristic-looking bracelet. The scene quickly shifts to a scene introducing Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Ford), roughly interrogating a ranch hand about the mutilated cattle under the ranch hand's care. Shifting again, the scene takes us to Lonergan's arrest, imprisonment, and Dolarhyde's attempt to remove Lonergan from the prison by force (the two men have a history, apparently), before an alien ship (or ships) attack, sending Dolarhyde's men and the townspeople scrambling for cover. Lonergan saves the day (actually night) with the help of his futuristic bracelet.

WonderCon, the annual pre-summer comics and film convention, kicked off Friday in San Francisco. WonderCon's first day is perfect for first-time con-goers or for con-goers hoping to ease themselves into the con experience. The con opens later, the lines are more manageable, the exhibitor's hall actually walkable. Con-goers can check a variety of comic book related panels, including several by the Comics Art Conference, pop-culture academics that take comics and the effects of comics on popular culture, seriously. Many con-goers, however, come to Wonder-Con for the movie panels. Con organizers usually pack the Saturday with five or six (or more panels), but usually save a spot for a summer tentpole for the last Friday panel. This year, the organizers gave 'Green Lantern' (out June 17th, pride of place).

The 'Green Lantern' panel (and the roundtable that followed), however, closed out a long day that began with a roundtable dedicated to 'Hanna,' the action-thriller out next Friday starring Saoirse Ronan and directed by Joe Wright ('The Soloist,' 'Atonement,' 'Pride & Prejudice'). In the roundtable, we delved into Wright's influences (Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, and David Lynch, among others), the script-to-screen process, and his fondness for long takes. Interestingly, it was Ronan who brought Wright into the project, sending him Seth Lochhead's script. Once Wright signed on, he worked bring the script back to Lochhead's original, more ambiguous vision while also making the fairy tale elements more explicit.

Pioneering science-fiction writer H.G. Wells popularized time travel as a fictional plot device with his 1895 novel, 'The Time Machine.' Wells' novel contained the plot and character elements that would appear and reappear in countless science-fiction novels, novellas, short stories, and, later, in film and television. Time travel became a go-to plot device on several '60s TV shows, including 'The Twilight Zone,' 'The Outer Limits,' the aptly named 'The Time Tunnel,' and 'Star Trek: The Original Series.'

This Cinematical Seven, however, will focus primarily on key films in the time travel genre, beginning with the 1960 release of über-producer George Pal's adaptation of Wells' novel, stopping along the way to briefly discuss everyone's favorite time-travel comedy-adventure, 'Back to the Future,' multiple entries in the 'Terminator' and 'Star Trek' film franchises and ending (for now anyway) with Tony Scott's 'Déjà vu.'

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS

SXSW isn't SXSW without the occasional (sometimes more than occasional) reminder that celebrities are people too. They like movies, they like music, and even they like all things interactive. Sometimes they appear before, during, or after movie-themes events (i.e., screenings). You can catch up with some of the celebrities at SXSW by checking out this link, this other link over here, and one more link over there.

OUR COVERAGE

Peter Hall reviews 'The Innkeepers,' Ti West's ('The House of the Devil') latest film, a comedy-horror mash-up. Hall says, "'The Innkeepers' is radiant with inspiration." He cites the sound design, cinematography, and score as plusses, along with the strong, character-focused writing, performances, and directing.

Hall also reviews 'Caught Inside,' Australian director Adam Blaiklock's feature-length debut. He says, "'Caught Inside' is an increasingly heated pressure cooker of a thriller; one that impresses with restraint and a disarming lack of malice." Hall cites actor (and "muscled menace") Ben Oxenbould, for his performance as the antagonist, saying "Oxenbould's performance is so plausibly unhinged that it calls to mind some of the greater loose cannons of cinema."

Todd Gilchrist reviews 'Paul,' the sci-fi/road comedy co-starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ('Hot Fuzz,' 'Shaun of the Dead,' 'Spaced'). Calling it an "otherwise imperfect but funny and genuinely sweet story," Gilchrist concludes, "'Paul' is a film that seems to too often pander to genre fandom without finding deeper meaning beneath it, or maybe more accurately, celebrates the people who share our affection for nerdy stuff but neglects to provide a meaningful reason why we should feel it in the first place."

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS

Missed out on yesterday's post with celebrity-linkage? Then click this link (you know you want to).

OUR COVERAGE

Christopher Campbell checks in with a review of 'The City Dark.' Of the film, Campbell concludes "More entertaining than enlightening, and at many times gorgeous to look at, as long as there's nothing for you to watch in the night sky anymore, 'The City Dark' is worth viewing as a substitute for stargazing, even if that might make you a bit sad on multiple levels to do so..."

Scott Weinberg reviews 'Girl Walks Into a Bar,' for Cinematical, calling it, "Half an anthology piece, of sorts, and half an "all in one night" neo-noir dark comedy, 'Girl Walks Into a Bar' is about as "experimental" a flick you'll find outside the festival circuit -- it actually debuted on YouTube following its SXSW world premiere -- but it's also unexpectedly breezy, quick-witted, and rather fun."

Peter Hall on festival favorite 'Attack the Block:' Remember when you were a teenager and had long, late-night talks with friends in between viewings of 'Predator,' 'Gremlins,' 'The Monster Squad,' or any number of other classic sci-fi/horror/action hybrids, wondering what you would do if aliens, monsters or demons ever invaded your neighborhood? Remember how you debated on end about what weapons you would use, where you'd go to hide and how much inhuman ass you would kick while saving the world? If you answered yes, then prepare to meet the movie of your Mountain Dew fueled dreams: Joe Cornish's 'Attack the Block.'

Our review of 'Paul' is upcoming; Cinematical's William Goss Tweeted, " 'Paul' has some rough geek-baiting gags, but I was won over by the time characters were making sly 'Capturing the Friedmans' references."

DEALS

So far, distributors are lining up, but actual buys haven't happened for feature films debuting or otherwise being exhibited at the SXSW Film Festival, but THR suggests that two films are close to deals: 'Kill List' and 'Kumare.'

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS

Because celebrities (film-related and otherwise) are people too and there's nothing - well, almost nothing -- that celebrities don't like more than being sighted at film (and other) festivals. Celebrities were out in full force on the opening night of the SXSW Film Festival.

OUR COVERAGE

If you haven't had a chance to check out our coverage of the first day of the SXSW Film Festival, just follow this link for fest-related goodness.

BIGGEST BUZZ

Joe Cornish's 'Attack the Block' absolutely killed at the midnight Alamo Drafthouse screening. Think 'Critters' meets 'The Warriors' -- Cornish described the wildly entertaining aliens-vs-teen-thugs horror-comedy as 'Super 8 Mile,' and the audience loved every minute of it. Apparently American distributors are afraid of the thick British neighborhood accents, but in our opinion the general kick-assery of the movie overpowers any sort of language barrier. See this one when you can.

IndieWIRE LOVE

Eric Kohn reviews Kyle Smith's new film, 'Turkey Bowl,' calling it "an admirably concise directorial debut," concluding "'Turkey Bowl' will probably enjoy a healthy festival run and give Smith enough momentum to make his next feature."

Kohn also reviews 'Better This World,' a documentary centered on the "Texas Two," David McKay and Brandley Crowder, who brought Molotov cocktails to the 2008 Republican presidential convention, their friend, leader, and FBI informant Brandon Darby (instrumental in their prosecutions). Kohn thinks "'Better This World' should get a good response at left-leaning festivals and especially on the documentary circuit."

IndieWIRE blogger Anne Thompson has a round-up of her first day at the SXSW Film Festival. Of 'Source Code,' Duncan Jones' ('Moon') second directorial effort, Thompson says "'Source Code' proves that Jones is a strong, stylish director who can handle an accessible bigger budget ($35 million) ensemble movie."

OUR COVERAGE

If you're new to the SXSW Film Festival (meaning you're new to Austin), then you must, without fail, check out our own Jette Kernion's Ultimate SXSW Guide: Everything You Need to Know About the Film Venues. Keep it handy, analog or digital style. Our suggestion? Go digital. The world's forests will thank you.

With so many films on tap (not to mention so much beer on tap on Austin's famed Sixth Street), deciding on what to see at the SXSW Film Festival (and that's not including the overlapping music and all-things-digital festivals) can be nothing short of overwhelming, especially for first-time SXSW fest goers. Luckily. Cinematical's own Erik Childress has kindly provided those very same fest goers with a 10 Best of SXSW. Read it, check out Mr. Childress' suggestions at the first (or second) opportunity, and, time permitting, make your way back to Cinematical and share your thoughts with those of us who couldn't attend the SXSW Film Fest in person.

This year, Duncan Jones' ('Moon') second film, 'Source Code,' a sci-fi actioner (it's been described as 'Groundhog Day' with a Bomb, officially kicked off the SXSW Film Festival,. Cinematical's Scott Weinberg, in Austin for the fest, reviews 'Source Code.' Of 'Source Code,' Weinberg says it's "not nearly as original as his first film, but it is the next best thing to unique: it's two or three familiar ideas tossed into a blender, whipped into a tasty concoction, and delivered with a great deal of style and confidence."