Archive for December, 2003
23 items.
To help them celebrate three years of European-flavored, gaming-related hilarity, I whipped up a guest comic for Little Gamers. Be sure to stop by the site and check it out. While you’re there, drop Madsen a line and congratulate him on the accomplishment!
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Dec10
It’s been hard for me to come up with new jokes this week because I’m saving a lot of ammo for next week and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Things have gotten so bad, I have to make fun of the Jessica Alba vehicle Honey. That’s why I’m wearing a sports bra and tights in today’s comic. Are you happy now?
I have no reason to see this movie – not even for a rental. If the end up playing it on an airline flight, I will lock myself in the overhead compartment. Why? Because I’ve seen it before. SEVERAL times before. Flashdance. Showgirls. Glitter… and now Honey. They’re all the same movie and bad ones at that! Sorry, Ms. Alba. Not even the sight of your bare midriff will convince me otherwise.
There’s not a lot of news to spread around right now. Iowa is in the grip of a blizzard at the moment, so I’m having fun shoveling and re-shoveling my driveway…
Have you thought about checking out the forums? I’ve added some new features including a bank and lottery hack that dovetails into a fun points system we’ve developed. It’s a very friendly community and new people are joining every day! Maybe you should, too!
If you really need something to do, you can give us a little vote love over at buzzComix. That’s always good for a shot in the arm!
I might have more to talk about later. I certainly hope so. This wasn’t much of a blog…
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Buckle up gang, ‘cuz this will be the first in a series of Return of the King-related comics. I’ve got a great storyline ready to go next week and it actually pulls reference from one of my earlier strips! Which one? You’ll have to come back on Monday to find out!
Not much going on in terms of “things that outrage me about Hollywood” this week, so I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about a few site-related issues.
First, I wanted to point out to any potential advertisers that the banner space at the top of the site is now available. However, it’ll be open for a limited time as I have promised to save it for another client beginning January 1st. So if you want to squeeze your ad in before that, drop me a line and maybe we can work out a deal. See the advertising page for more information.
I also want to point out there is a new wallpaper incentive if you donate money to the Theater Hopper Walk of Fame. It’s a fun pop-art inspired piece that you’re already familiar with if you’ve been voting for Theater Hopper at buzzComix. We recently received a very generous donation from one MadMup and it earned him a portrait drawn by yours truly in the Theater Hopper style. Remember, you can score a lot of goodies when you show your support for Theater Hopper – including 100 points in the forums for every dollar you give!
Lastly, I want to point everyone in the direction of the Bonus Material pages. There’s been a recent influx of fan art and Theater Hopper cameos showing up in other comics. You’ll see work from the creators of Bigger Than Cheeses, Phancy Pants and Troy’s Bucket – just to name a few. Go check them out! Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the page for the newest entries.
That about does it for me. Are you sufficiently bombarded? Good! See you soon!
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Before I forget, I wanted to let everyone know that fellow Dayfree Press memeber Coffee Brain is back from an extended hiatus.
If you guys haven’t read the comic before, now is an excellent time to jump on. The writing is sharp and I love the site design.
Please visit Coffee Brain and welcome Rob back into the fold!
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This is the first of a three-part story arc celebrating The Return of The King and the gluteal fortitude it will require to sit through it.
I’m really looking forward to the film, but Cami is dragging her heels. I can’t understand why. She said she didn’t like The Fellowship of The Ring (understandable considering its lengthy exposition), but she admitted to actually enjoying The Two Towers. This is like The Matrix Revolutions all over again. Well, I hope not literally…
I think Cami doesn’t have a problem with the movies, per se. But has an aversion to the extreme displays of nerdery on the opening nights of these kinds of fan boy movies. I swear we saw a guy who looked exactly like Gandalf when we went to see The Two Towers last year.
I’ll probably end up playing The Guilt Card. Cami made me go see Something’s Gotta Give on Sunday night. Fair is fair.
Truth be told, the movie wasn’t that bad. It was very sharply written and well directed. Although I take issue with the kind of environments writer/director Nancy Meyers tends to place her characters in.
All of the people in her films are very rich and have impeccable taste. Their houses are spotless and look like they’ve sprung to life from the pages of an interior decorating magazine. If you peek into the kitchen of any one of these individuals, you’ll often find copper pots hanging from some kind of rack over an island. I like to call her work “The Copper Kettle Comedies”. Just turn to The Father of the Bride 1 and 2, the 1998 Parent Trap remake and What Women Want for the proof.
As far as Something’s Gotta Give is concerned, I liked the performances. As always, Jack Nicholson is the reason to go. It’s fun to watch him playing off his aging Lothario role. He shows a great deal of vulnerability in his performance. You can tell his characters thoughts on growing older are issues Jack has dealt with in his own experience.
One thing I can’t get over is how many older couples there were in the audience. This film is definitely skewing older. You could smell the Brill cream and rose perfume in the air. I think we were the youngest couple in the place.
During the scenes where Jack and Diane Keaton were kissing, cavorting or being intimate, I was immediately taken out of the picture. My attention kept turning to all of the older people in the crowd and wondering what they thought. Every time the two actors kissed, it was almost if I could hear them thinking “Oh, how nice to see people *our age* getting it on in the movies!” or something to that effect. I surmise this must have been what it felt like to sit in on a screening of Cocoon when it first came out. I know seeing Diane West naked is an image that’s going to stick with me for a long while – and not in a good way. What is up with Jack pairing up with older actresses who are stripping down to their birthday suits? He did it to us last year with Kathy Bates in About Schmidt, and now this?
I’m being more harsh on the movie than I should be. There really isn’t a lot to be critical over. If you can’t get into Return of the King on Wednesday, go see Something’s Gotta Give. It’s a very smart, mature picture that you’ll feel good about seeing afterward. Honest.
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Quick note: Everyone head over to Taking the Bi-Pass to see a great Theater Hopper cameo!
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Dec17
I know today’s comic doesn’t say anything specifically related to movies, but it’s the middle of a story arc riffing on the gluteal fortitude required to sit through The Lord of The Rings: Return of the King – opening today.
Cut me some slack. It’ll all pay off on Friday. Trust me.
No doubt some of you are viewing today’s strip, blurred vision and weary from the midnight showings they started yesterday. If I didn’t have a job I cared about, I would be totally there. But now that I’m an old man, that kind of time commitment is going to result in a comatose Tommy in the morning.
Think about it. If the movie is 3 and a half hours and the commute back home is 30 minutes, you’re looking at maybe 2 and a half hours sleep before you’ve gotta turn around and start the rat race. I mean, I’ve gone on no sleep before, but I’m turning 26 on Sunday. I think that means I have to put a cap on irregular sleep patterns and, as my Dad might say, “Get a solid 8 hours every night.”
Reviews for Return of the King have been overwhelmingly positive. Many reviewers are willing to give a pass on the extraordinary length of the picture. The only sticking point I’ve heard so far is that there are 6 endings to tie up lose story arcs. That’s okay by me. Give Peter Jackson a little breathing room to say goodbye. The man only spent the better part of a decade producing these films.
I’m excited by the legacy Jackson has left behind. When you think of it, there really hasn’t been a series of movies told with such artistic clarity. The rules of the universe are so set, it’s quite an accomplishment. We’ll be watching these movies the rest of our lives just like Star Wars or Indiana Jones and it will be all over starting tomorrow. Think about that as your ass starts to go numb somewhere around the 2 and half hour mark.
In web comic news, I reported the sad end to Movie Punks in Monday’s blog, but as it turns out, another movie-themed web comic closed their doors only shortly after. Mr. Furious pulled the plug on Movie Comics on Monday as well.
Both Brian Carroll of Instant Classic and I have been trading our thoughts over the matter and we’re still stunned. I think, for some reason, this hits close to home for us since we all shared the same genre. I mean, between the four of us, I can’t think of any other prominent web comics about movies. So you have 4 guys in your sphere of influence doing the same thing. Suddenly, that number cuts in half. It’s shocking.
Mr. Furious and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but I have respect for the following he was able to cultivate for himself (albeit sometimes under somewhat controversial means).
Controversy seemed to be Movie Comics bread and butter. If it wasn’t the Penny Arcade ripoff claims, there would be some kind of drama between Furious and once co-writer Breezebringer. It was always something. And people always came back for more. Say what you want, but Movie Comics fan base was LOYAL. That’s something.
Truthfully, I felt Furious was really coming into his own in the last few months he was producing. It would have been interesting to see where he could have taken things had real life not gotten in the way.
When it’s all said and done, I think Furious went out on a very classy note. I wanted to publicly thank him for referring his readers to this site with a link from his last blog. That says a lot about his character that he would share the wealth like that and I appreciate it.
R.I.P. – Movie Comics
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Dec19
And thus ends The Posterior Effect storyline. The moral of the story? Be sure to flex your butt muscles every day so you can be victorious against bullies and win the affections of the ladies!
Godspeed, all. Godspeed.
Like many of you, I went to see the final installment of The Lord of The Rings trilogy on Wednesday night. What can I say? It certainly delivered on many levels for me. I got to see everything I wanted to see and probably more. The battle scenes were excellent. They raised the bar in terms of visual mayhem. And all those wide shots and soaring, overhead views of sweeping landscapes! It’s enough to give a cineophile vertigo!
I don’t know if I could properly dissect the many ways I enjoyed the film. Truth be told, I’m still digesting it two days later. If I spend any time thinking of it, not only do I reminisce about The Return of The King, but I also marvel at just how well made ALL three movies were. If Peter Jackson doesn’t nab the Best Director Oscar this year for the overwhelming accomplishment of his trilogy, the blood of the Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences voting block will wash the streets of Hollywood. Watching the movie makes me want to read the books.
I guess if I were to pick one thing about the movie that I loved, it has to be the army of the dead. Those guys were fierce.
Not much else to say at the moment. It’s been a roller coaster week. Saying goodbye to Movie Punks and Movie Comics in one day was quite a blow. Then there have been boring ups and downs in my personal and professional lives. Nothing negative, just not worth rehashing here. Then on Sunday it’s my birthday.
Odd. I’m looking more forward to this birthday than I did when I turned 25 last year. Something about the off-years really captures my attention. I’m ready to celebrate. I’m looking forward to the holiday.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
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Part of me feels that I need to move away from The Return of The King and start making fun of some other films ripe for parody. I have jokes for Mona Lisa Smile and Cheaper By The Dozen waiting on deck, itching for an opportunity to show you what they’ve got. It’s like sending in a closer during the World Series.
Just a quick note about Return of The King that brought a smile to my face. It’s 3 day weekend take was almost $74 million. It’s closest competitor was Mona Lisa Smile and it only took $12 million.
[The rest of this post was lost when the site was moved to WordPress in January 2009 – Tom]
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[The blog post was lost when the site was moved to WordPress in January 2009 – Tom]
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