Archive for January, 2004
18 items.
Jan23
EVERY TIME SOMONE IS PUNK’D, ASHTON GETS HIS WINGS
January 23rd, 2004 |
(5 votes, average: 8.60 out of 10)
I don’t know where the hell this comic came from today. Maybe it’s a commentary on Ashton Kutcher’s omnipresent profile. Maybe it’s a critique of his acting ability. Maybe I just felt like drawing another comic where Jared abuses celebrities. It’s abstract enough to be all three!
Well, if I’m being overly harsh on myself, sooth my dwindling self esteem by voting for Theater Hopper at BuzzComix and taking a gander at another incentive sketch. This one has class written all over it.
Even though I have Jared tagging Kutcher’s bean bag with ferocious velocity in today’s strip, I know for a fact that he’s going to see The Butterfly Effect when it opens in theaters tonight. If you know Jared at all, this should come as no surprise. He enjoys any movie with a trailer cut to look like a Nine Inch Nails video.
Of course, it’s not like I’m getting off scott free this weekend, either. I’m going out to see Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! – quite possibly the most ridiculous title for a movie in the last 5 years. This one stars Topher Grace, Kutcher’s co-star on That 70’s Show. Odd, don’t you think, that they would have movies competing with each other on the same weekend?
Still, if I was a betting man, I’d put my money on Topher to maintain a career past television. Getting your feature debut in Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic is a pretty good start. I mean, Ashton’s first high profile gig was Dude, Where’s My Car?
Dude… do the math.
My affinity for Topher aside (his name is just fun to say – Topher… like “gopher”), I’m not entirely sold on the idea that Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! will be any good. Still, it was directed by the same guy that made Legally Blonde, which I sheepishly admit to enjoying immensely. If he can find the same hidden spark in Kate Bosworth that they did with Reese Witherspoon, then he should have a nice little hit on his hands.
Then again, January is the post-Oscar dumping ground, so don’t hold your breath.
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Tom is right, I am going to see The Butterfly Effect tonight. I do have a soft spot for disturbing weirdness. When asked what kind of movies I like, my wife answered for me “He likes movies that include drugs and someone dying.” Is there any other kind?
I do like Ashton, but it is Amy Smart that closed the deal to get me to the theater tonight. I’ve always thought she was cool. Or should I say hot?
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In a thread where we were all talking about Howard Dean and his recent Iowa caucus meltdown, one of the users in the forum posted a link to a political comic called Fillibuster.
I’ve been aware of Filibuster for a while and I admire the artwork. I’m just not a regular reader because if I wanted political cartoons, I could open up any newspaper.
None of this would be important except I stumbled across this comic which casts Iowans in a less than flattering light.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want you guys to flame Filibuster. I’m not trying to start some big inter-drama here. But it seems unfair that some kid from Canada is promoting a stereotype like this to his audience. So my thought it, if he has a forum to place this misconception into the universe, I have an equally valid soapbox to counter it.
I mean, I know it’s supposed to be funny. And, granted, Iowa has a pretty large redneck population. But that image doesn’t represent me and I take issue with the idea that all Iowans are sitting around in straw hats mulling over serious political decisions while taking council from our dear pig Wilbur.
I’m sure if I made a comic that featured a profusely apologetic lumberjack from Ottawa who drinks only maple syrup and rides a moose, most of Canada wouldn’t be too happy with me either.
I should probably just lighten up.
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Did you know we’ve jumped up the Top 10 significantly since last week? Keep that trend alive and claim your reward by voting for Theater Hopper at BuzzComix.
As you may have gathered from today’s comic, I wasn’t very impressed with Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! It’s unfortunate, because I was actually kind of interested in the movie. Like I said in Friday’s blog, Topher Grace is always a plus in my book. I just think that gangly nerd is funny.
The movie was okay, but so hokey in parts my eyes about rolled out of my head. Nevermind the entire cast is impossibly attractive. It strains credibility. I mean, we all know attractive people don’t have problems!
The script tries to take jabs at egotistical Hollywood types, but it pulls it’s punches more than it should. Ultimately, it removes any meat for the actors to sink their teeth into. They have nothing to work with. Kate Bosworth spends most of the movie looking surprised or smiling with incredible force.
To get the bad taste of Tad Hamilton out of my mouth (insert childish snickering here), Cami and I went to see The Cooler on Saturday night. I don’t know if you’ve heard anything about it, but you should check it out. The premise alone has more worth than two of Tad Hamiltons combined.
Basically, the story is this: William H. Macy plays a guy with such terrible bad luck, it rubs off on others. He’s hired by Alex Baldwin who runs an old-school casino in Las Vegas to be his “cooler”. In other words, to cool down gamblers running a hot streak and taking the casino’s money. He does this just by standing next to him.
Eventually, Macy’s character meets a cocktail waitress (Maira Bello) and they fall in love. Once this happens, Macy’s effectiveness as a cooler begins to wain. He has Lady Luck on his side! This put’s Baldwin in a spot because he’s getting pressure from the higher-ups who want to tear down the casino and make it more modern. Conflict ensues.
The Cooler does a really good job depicting the desperate side of Vegas the tourism board doesn’t want you to know about. People go out there with dreams and end up turning tricks. Those with money and power play by an entirely different set of rules than the rest of us. The whole thing is really fascinating.
Plus, the performances are good all around. No one does a better job of playing the miserable loser than Macy. And Baldwin does a great job of exhibiting desperation as the threat of losing his casino grows larger.
Anyway, if you have an opportunity, I suggest you check it out.
You might have noticed a couple of new ads on the front page. I want to announce that I’m offering some new advertising opportunities. Now I have two slots open where I am selling space by Ad Views. That means you can buy a package of Ad Views – 50,000 let’s say – and my new advertising tracking software will keep track of how many times your ad loads on the main page.
The only catch is that this space is an ad pool. So more than one ad could be running at a time.
But the good news is, prices are cheap! And if you notice there aren’t many people running ads, it could be a great bargain.
If you’re interested in advertising with Theater Hopper, please check out the advertising page or dropping me a line. I look forward to doing business with you!
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Oscar nominations were announced this morning. There were a few surprising picks – especially in the field of Best Actor.
Visit Oscar.com for the full list of nominees. Come back tomorrow for a related comic and reactions from yours truly.
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Monday’s incentive graphic proved to be fairly popular, so I’m sticking with a theme. Vote for Theater Hopper at BuzzComix to learn more! We have a really good shot of cracking the Top 5 by this afternoon!
Today’s comic is supposed to be commentary on the surprising nominations the Academy presented yesterday. Quite honestly, I didn’t expect to see most of the names on that list mentioned in the same breath with some of the other more established (re: popular and/or commercially) viable Hollywood stars.
There are a lot of dark horses I’ll be pulling for. Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Alec Baldwin, Ken Wantanabe, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Sophia Coppola notably.
Hey! What did I tell you guys about that Ken Wantanabe?! He’s the real deal, my friends! I don’t know what the odds are of a Japanese star winning an Oscar in his first English language film, but anyone who can break through so effectively is one to watch in the future. Why, he could be like Jackie Chan, but with INTEGRITY!
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Oscars with at least ONE misstep. Brother Bear for Best Animated Feature? Didn’t, like, seven people go to that movie? Oh, well. There weren’t a lot of animated movies to turn to this year. They actually nominated a French film – The Triples of Belleville – to round out the category. I haven’t seen it, but I’m dying to. Cami and I had an opportunity when we were in New York, but it ended up passing us by.
No matter. Finding Nemo is going to clean house with both of them.
I suppose I could go more in depth with this, but I don’t want to jinx a good thing. The Academy has done a very good job of recognizing talent that deserves it. I hope it’s a trend that continues. What I thought was going to be another ho-hum ceremony has now become very interesting for me because the nominees reflect more of my personal taste in film. I have much more invested in my picks success or failure.
If you’re interested in discussing the Oscar nominations further, be sure to register in the forums for some great round-table discussion!
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For those of you who have been voting for Theater Hopper over at BuzzComix this week, you may have noticed a theme. Well, today I chose to continue that theme and I’m probably the proudest of this piece. It’s has a little sex appeal. Consider it a favor to the fanboys. And before you question – Yes, Cami approved it. Click the link to find out what all the fuss is about!
Today’s comic really isn’t so much of a dig against The Perfect Score – although it’s clearly a detestable slice of cinema. I think my judgment is fairly accurate when you consider the number of times I’ve seen the advertisements for this movie on MTV, I’ve been able to stitch together the entire beginning, middle and end of it without having paid a dime.
I really wouldn’t need to go to all that trouble. They basically give away everything in the trailer. Some high school kids are stressed about the S.A.T., so they decide to steal it. After much ballyhoo, they realize that, in the end, it’s just a test and they’ll still be good people once it’s over. MORONS!
Cami’s take on Scarlett Johansson (while not as violent) is pretty fairly represented in today’s comic. I dunno. She just doesn’t like her. Thinks she has attitude. Doesn’t work well with others. In a way, I can see it. Part of me knows that there won’t be much left for her once she grows out of her ingenue phase. She seems cold. Distant. A little W.A.S.P.y… Is it just me?
We have a big weekend planned. Lots of time with friends and family. Of course The Super Bowl is involved. I don’t follow football very closely, but even a casual fan like me can recognize that the match-up between the Patriots and the Panthers is going to be a real snooze-fest. There is no rivalry between the two teams and no personalities in their roster to cheer for. It’s kind of like two inner city gangs showed up to the same place at the same time expecting to fight, but then not having a problem with the people they end up meeting there. It’s kind of an “Oh, you’ll do.” situation.
Side Note: I just had the complete first and second season of The Critic dropped off on my front step this afternoon. If you haven’t seen this Jon Lovitz animated program on Fox or in reruns on Comedy Central (it was produced by the creators of The Simpsons), you owe it to yourself to pick it up on DVD. It’s essential watching for all movie satirists.
Take care everyone! Stay warm this weekend!
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I just about spaced it off, but be sure to stop by our latest advertiser Syntax Error Comics. It’s a really cool and unique web comic done totally in 3-D. What’s better is that it takes that gimmick and amplifies it to great effect with excellent writing!
Check it out and tell ’em Theater Hopper sentcha!
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